Into the Past
by CatsbytheGreat
Summary: Harry ends up traveling back in time to the time of the Marauders. Written awhile ago. Slightly AU. Now complete!
1. Into the Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters.**

**NOTES: This story was written awhile ago, for fun for my friends, so it might not be the best. I hope it's good, though, and I hope you enjoy.  
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Harry Potter stood in an empty classroom in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hiding from the caretaker Filch. He and his best friend Ron Weasley, a tall red haired boy, had been looking for a specific book in the library but hadn't found it. Regardless, they had been out of their beds after hours, and if Filch caught them they'd get detention. But Harry had lost Ron as they were running, and had no clue where he might be. He didn't dare to go look.

The classroom was empty except for a few desks, some books lying on the floor, and a very old and ancient wardrobe with a cracked mirror on the door. Harry walked over to the books and picked one up; it was called "What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming". He frowned at it, put it down, and started walking towards the wardrobe.

Strangely enough, when Harry looked in the mirror he could see nothing except for what looked like fog. He reached out and grasped the handle of the wardrobe and opened it. Inside there was nothing, but Harry could see a faint light that seemed to be coming from the back wall. Cautiously, and out of curiosity, he stepped inside.

The wardrobe smelled like rotting wood, but Harry ignored the smell and kept walking towards the light, with a small thrill of foreboding. But he ignored those feelings and kept walking, determined to figure out what the source of the light was. As he got very close to the wardrobe's back wall, he suddenly felt as though something was pulling him, and everything went black.

Harry felt himself slam into a wall, and he groaned as pain shot up his back. Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he opened his eyes, with a thrill of excitement, expecting to find himself in a fascinating new place.

He was in a broom closet. Someone, or, from the sound of it, a few people, where yelling "James?! JAMES?!" Feeling annoyed, Harry stood up and reached towards the door, but before he touched the doorknob, it turned on its own, and the door swung open.

Three people, all of whom were vaguely familiar to Harry, were standing there. The one closest to him had black hair that fell into his grey eyes, in a handsome way, and was frowning slightly. Harry recognized him as a teenage Sirius Black, because he had seen him in Snape's pensieve (a device that stores memories) awhile ago, only this time he looked slightly taller. Behind him was a pale, tired looking boy with brown hair, who Harry also recognized from Snape's memory as Remus Lupin. The third boy was shorter than the others and stout, with light brown hair and small, watery eyes. He was Peter Pettigrew, the one who had betrayed Harry's parents.

Harry felt very shocked to see those three boys standing there for several reasons. One was that the last time Harry checked, Lupin and Peter were adults. And Sirius had been dead. Harry frowned at them, confused, "Er…"

"Where've you been Prongs? In that closet the whole time?" Sirius asked, also frowning. Harry remembered that "Prongs" was the nickname they had for James, and realized at the same time, with some panic rising in him, that they thought he was James.

"No," Harry began, "I-"

"What happened to your head?" Lupin asked suddenly. Harry's hand flew to his forehead, on which there was a lightning shaped scar from his encounter with Voldemort when he was just a baby.

"Er…."

"He probably hit his head with a broom," Sirius said impatiently. "Why were you in the closet? Is there…someone else in there?" He eyed the closet suspiciously.

"No," Harry said, feeling confused and annoyed, "No, I was just hiding from a…a teacher. I jinxed some first year…" He trailed off, still wondering why his father's friends were teenagers and talking to him.

"Did you?" Lupin asked. "But James, you're Head Boy! You can't be breaking the rules like that. Honestly! Come on, let's go to the common room." Harry, at a loss for words, followed the three others up to the Gryffindor tower. They were talking, but Harry wasn't listening. He was wondering how he'd gotten to the past in the first place, how he'd ended up in his father's seventh year of Hogwarts. Was James here too? Or had Harry completely taken his place. Lost in thought, he followed the others through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.

Harry headed straight for an armchair by the fire, sinking into it and hoping to think some more. But Peter drew attention to him by saying "James, you're being quieter than usual. What's wrong? Is it Lily Evans? Because she's been a pain lately…" Harry gave Peter a dirty look, which shut him up.

"Lily hasn't talked to me today," Harry said, not knowing if this was actually true. He looked up, and saw the other three exchanging a look.

"She likes you," Sirius said, grinning slightly.

"How do you know?" Harry asked, curious.

"Because she's stopped yelling at you so much, she blushes whenever you mention going out, and have you _seen _her during lessons? She just stares at you! She's in denial…"

"You just need to…get to know her a little more. Then ask her out," Lupin suggested. Quite suddenly, Harry felt a feeling of panic rise within him. They thought he was James, so of course they expected him to be crazy about Lily. But Harry was Lily's son, and if he went out with her…Now he was desperate to find a way back to his own time, and find Ron so they could laugh about this crazy mix up.

"I thought Lily hated me," Harry told them, half hoping it was true just so he wouldn't end up in a relationship with his mom. The other half, however, was hoping she didn't, because Harry knew that, if it wasn't for his parents, he wouldn't be born.

"That's her cover," Sirius said, looking at the steps leading up to the Girl's Dormitories. "And don't say it's ridiculous, Remus, you know its true." Lupin merely shrugged, and turned to look at the fireplace.

"Why do you think it's ridiculous, er…Remus?" Harry hadn't ever called Lupin by his first name, so it felt awkward.

"Well, Lily hates it when you jinx people in the corridors, or when you assume you know everything, and even though you've been better about it, it'll take her awhile to get over it. Padfoot's probably wrong; it's not her cover. She just needs _time _James, not a cover."

"Because Moony knows all about girls…" Sirius muttered, sounding annoyed.

"I do," said Lupin, grinning mischievously now. Harry and Peter looked at him, surprised, and Sirius rolled his eyes. "Right, sure you do," he said. Peter laughed.

"Well, I should…go to bed. It's been a long day," Harry said. They looked at him, surprised, but Harry parried off their comments by turning around quickly and heading up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitory. It was only when he got into the room did he realize that he had no clue where James' (now his) bed was, and there were six in the room.

Cursing whatever had sent him back in time (_It was the wardrobe, _Harry thought), he walked towards the first bed, which had a trunk at the end of it, as did the others. Harry opened the first trunk and sifted through a pile of school robes. Picking up a book, he opened the cover and read the name written inside it: _Frank Longbottom_. He moved on.

After going through the trunks of Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, Harry found James' bed, which was closest to a window. He found nightclothes in James' trunk, put them on, crawled into bed, and closed the curtains for privacy. He lay there thinking about what had happened for a long time. Occasionally, he heard someone, or a few people, come up to sleep. It was not until 1 o'clock in the morning that Harry finally fell asleep.


	2. Making Plans

Harry was woken up by someone shaking him roughly by the shoulder. Angrily, Harry reached for his glasses, and at the same time moaned "Whaaaaat?!" Pushing his glasses on, Harry saw that it was Lupin who had been shaking him awake, and now Lupin looked startled.

"I was waking you up," he explained hastily. "We have lessons, remember?" It took Harry awhile to absorb this, and when he did he remembered the details of the night before, how he'd ended up in his father's time, and was pretending to be his father.

_But I've never done seventh year lessons…_Harry thought, and the familiar feeling of panic rose within him. However, to Lupin he said, "I'll be down in a few minutes." Lupin nodded and left.

Harry dressed quickly (his father's clothes were slightly long on him; apparently James had been taller than Harry was now at age seventeen) while trying to think up a good plan to get back to his own time. He doubted whether the broom closet he'd been found in the day before was the solution; instead he thought he needed to find the wardrobe. But, seeing as it was years earlier, it could be anywhere. Discouraged, Harry headed off to the Great Hall for a quick breakfast.

The first lesson Harry had as a "seventh year" was Transfiguration, and the topic was advanced conjuring spells. While James had been one of the top of his class in his time, Harry was not a great student, and hadn't even mastered conjuring so much as a tissue from thin air.

"For today's lesson, you will be conjuring up a chair and then, if you can manage it, a table," Professor McGonagall announced. The room had been cleared of desks, and the students were scattered about.

Harry concentrated hard and muttered the incantation under his breath, but nothing happened, except that a few sparks shot out of his wand. Nearby, both Sirius and Lily, whom Harry had known from people like McGonagall and Lupin were also top of their class, had already managed to conjure up chairs, and were working on tables. Lupin had managed four legs and the seat, and Peter had set his robes on fire.

"Are you okay?" Lupin asked, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"Why?" Harry asked, trying to sound genuinely confused. He still hadn't conjured anything.

"Well, you're usually one of the quickest with these spells," Lupin said, as McGonagall congratulated Lily and Sirius on their newly conjured chairs and tables. "The day before yesterday you conjured up a door that fell on Snape! (It was a good thing Lily never found out…) And last night you were acting…different. Is it Lily?"

"No!" Harry snapped. "It's not Lily! Quit saying that; it's not true. I'm just stressed out, that's all. We've got loads of work, and it's our last year, and I'm Quidditch captain…" Harry had found out the last bit awhile ago, back in his own time.

"I guess," Lupin mumbled, but he still looked unconvinced.

Before the end of class Harry had only conjured up one chair leg, but at least he had done more than Peter, who had set Professor McGonagall on fire before the lesson was through. Their next period was a free one, so Harry met Lupin and Peter under a tree outside. There was a cold wind, and a light layer of snow covered the ground, but in his robes and scarf Harry was warm. It had to be around December.

"Where's Sirius?" he asked, looking around.

"Muggle Studies," Lupin answered, frowning slightly. "Didn't you know that James? You _are_ his best friend, after all…" There was something accusatory in his voice that Harry didn't like.

"I-I forgot," Harry said. Then he remembered something and started, mostly to distract Lupin from his own lack of knowledge, "But don't Sirius' parents-" but stopped himself again. He remembered that Sirius had run away from home by now.

"It's almost full moon," Peter said, which distracted the attention from Harry. "Only two days…"

"Yeah," Lupin said, casting a look at the Shrieking Shack and the village of Hogsmeade in the distance. "Can't wait." The last bit sounded partly sarcastic.

"Bet you James has got something good planned, hasn't he?" Peter looked hopefully at Harry, who felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.

Peter meant that they would be exploring the grounds during the full moon with Lupin, who was a werewolf. Their being with him made the transformations bearable, even fun. But there was a problem, for Harry at least. He had heard the story from Lupin a few years ago; in order to help make his transformations more bearable James, Sirius, and peter had become animagi (wizards who could transform into animals at will). Each month on the full moon they snuck out and spent the night with Lupin (as animals-James being a stag, Sirius a dog, and Peter a rat), occasionally exploring the Hogwarts grounds when Lupin was calm enough. Unfortunately, Harry had never attempted to become an animagus (it's a very hard process), so he wouldn't be able to turn into a stag, which would blow his cover…

"Y-yeah, I've got a plan," Harry muttered, feeling nervous. He needed a plan alright-a plan to get out of their full moon activities, or to get back to his own time. Unfortunately, none seemed to present itself...

"Potter! POTTER!"

Harry, who had been walking to the Great Hall for dinner after his last class, Charms, heard someone's voice yelling at him. He turned around and received a shock. Marching towards him, her long red hair fanning out behind her, was Lily Evans, his seventeen year old mother.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. I need to talk to you," she snapped. The four boys stopped and watched as she walked towards them, looking furious.

"Hi," Harry said, feeling shocked and awkward at the same time. He gave Lily a weak smile, unsure of what to do. _She's my mum…_

"Don't you 'hi' me, James Potter," Lily snapped. "I know perfectly well it's your fault!"

"W-what?!" Harry asked, taken aback.

"One of you is responsible for dyeing Snape's clothes pink, aren't you?"

"Did you _ask_ him who did it?" Sirius asked Lily, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"No, I didn't, but-"

"Then you can't prove it was us," Sirius concluded, looking amused. "Now go and talk to your-"

"You or Potter did something," Lily insisted furiously. "I know-it's always you guys! Didn't I tell you to lay off Snape?"

"We haven't done anything to him in over a month, Lily," Lupin said calmly.

"Then how did his robes end up _pink_?" Lily asked swiftly.

Harry, who had witnessed the event, said, "We were making a 'Dreamless Sleep Draught' in Potions, and one of the Slytherins did a really lousy job, so he accidentally spilled the potion, and it got all over Snape, and he went nuts…It wouldn't come off either."

"It was really funny, actually. A good idea for…never mind," Sirius said. "But not our fault. Ask anyone-there were loads of witnesses. Where were you, anyway?" Lily was apparently supposed to be in their Potions class.

"I was asked to oversee a class of first years during their free period while McGonagall went to see Dumbledore," Lily replied coolly.

"So, everything's okay?" Lupin asked cheerfully. He clapped his hands together. "Good, then let's go eat dinner." Lily frowned at him, but walked away, looking disappointed.

"So we lay off Snivellus, and Lily still yells at us? Not right," Peter said.

"She just needs time to realize that we've stopped playing those tricks on Snape…well, we've stopped playing them in _public_, but, well, Lily doesn't need to know what we do to Snape, or anyone, otherwise," Lupin said.

"By the time she realizes we're…sort of innocent…we'll be wrinkled and on rockers," Sirius muttered darkly.

The next day passed very fast, too fast for Harry's liking. He was trying to think of several ways to get out of spending the full moon with Lupin, but the best he could come up with was to fall off his broom, and he certainly didn't want to do that. The day of the full moon came, and throughout the day Harry cast about wildly for something to save him. He found it in Severus Snape.

Just after another grueling Transfiguration class in the afternoon, Harry caught Snape walking down a corridor with his nose buried in a book, which Harry assumed had something to do with the Dark Arts. As he neared them, Harry prepared himself to act exactly as his father had in the one memory he had seen of him, which had taken place in James' fifth year.

"Hey _Snivellus_," Harry called out. Snape looked up and snapped his book shut furiously. "Having fun being a loser?" Harry felt someone slap his arm.

"What are you doing?" Lupin hissed in his ear. "You-are-Head Boy! You can't just call out a fight with Snape!"

"Sure I can!" Harry said, flashing a grin, even though he didn't feel happy.

"You'll get detention!" Sirius whispered. "You know what tonight is-you can't afford to get caught. And what about Evans, huh?" He was right, Harry knew it. This would jeopardize his chances-or, more correctly, his father's chances- with Lily.

"She was just beginning to think you'd changed," Peter added timidly. However, before Harry could respond…

"What is it, Potter? Come to show off your talent again?" Snape asked, his wand out and pointing at the four boys; he looked very angry. People were gathering to watch. "Do you really want to duel with me today? You won't win…" His eyes flashed dangerously.

"No!" Sirius and Lupin both hissed in Harry's ear. To Snape Harry said, "Fine, Snivelly, let's see how badly you can lose. _Impedimenta!_" The jinx flew towards Snape, who blocked it. The hall was beginning to get very crowded with onlookers.

"_Stupefy!_" Harry blocked Snape's spell without saying a word, and tried to think of a really good spell, when a voice yelled "STOP IT!"

Lily Evans had pushed through the crowd, and her wand was pointed at Harry. She looked furious. "I though you'd finally decided to deflate your head a bit Potter!" she yelled, her eyes flashing. "But I guess you can't. You'll always be an arrogant bullying git, you'll never change-!"

"Evans!" Sirius yelled back. "Listen, James wasn't in his right mind, he just-"

"Oh, SHUP UP!" Lily snapped. "You're as bad as he is-"

"Oi-James!" Lupin suddenly shouted. Everyone looked around, Harry too late. He felt Snape's curse hit him without anytime to react; it felt as though a sword had slashed several parts of his body. Cuts on his face, arms, and chest were now bleeding freely, and Harry, in pain, fell to the floor.

He heard, distantly, Lupin and Sirius shouting jinxes and swear words at Snape before he passed out.

Harry felt groggy when he came to, realized he was in the Hospital Wing, and that somebody had taken off his glasses when he opened his eyes. He saw the blurry outline of Madam Pomfrey bustling around. He reached for his glasses, at the same time feeling a pain in his arm and part of his chest, put them on, and sat up.

"Oh good, you're awake," said Madam Pomfrey, coming over to check Harry's wounds. "Those were some nasty cuts you had there, but I've stopped the bleeding, and the scarring should be reduced. I put a potion on them. They might hurt for a few days though. I'm keeping you overnight and tomorrow. How you got those cuts…"

"I was dueling with Severus Snape," Harry told her. She frowned.

"A student couldn't know a spell like that! I've never seen anything like it…Well, you should get some sleep." With that, Madam Pomfrey walked into her office, leaving Harry alone.

Harry looked at the bedside table and saw, to his surprise, a folded up piece of parchment with the words _James Potter_ written on the outside. Curious, Harry picked it up and unfolded it; inside was the following message:

_Dear Prongs, _

_Tonight we won't see you, but tomorrow be prepared to receive a speech from all of us about the _proper _way to get a girl (Lily Evans) to like you, as well as ways not to get in trouble when you can't afford it. _ _As well as ways to get revenge on Snivellus; that was low, what he did. That foul, slimy, horrible GIT! Anyway, rest assured: As your friends we promise to get Lily to like you. _

_Get Well Soon (Your Friends),_

_Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot_

Harry grinned slightly at the letter in his hands. It seemed so like James' friends to forgive him and swear revenge on Snape. But the part about Lily Evans still lingered unpleasantly in his mind, haunting him. Had he ruined his parent's relationship? Could it be fixed? Thoughts about his parents swirled in Harry's head, interrupting his dreams as he slept.

Harry woke up around lunch time the next, and found himself visited by James' friends barely fifteen minutes later. They didn't seem angry at Harry, on the contrary, they were relieved.

"That git!" Sirius said. "I swear, when I get a hold of him…"

"Where d'you think he learned that spell anyway? Madam Pomfrey didn't believe me when I told her it was Snape…She said it was too dark a spell, and she'd never heard of it before," Harry said quietly. He looked around at the group. Sirius and Lupin both looked pale and tired, while Peter looked nervous.

"Maybe we should stay away from Snape for awhile," Peter suggested, looking imploringly at Harry.

Ignoring Peter, Lupin said, "It seems likely that Snape could've made that spell up. Or he could've gotten it out of one of those weird books he's always reading, about the Dark Arts…I dunno."

Harry suddenly remembered why he'd sought out a fight with Snape in the first place, and asked, in a very low voice, "How was the full moon, anyway? The transformations went well?"

"Well, I don't remember much…I never do," Lupin replied thoughtfully. "From what Sirius and Peter told me, everything went well. Right?"

"Of course, perfect!" Peter squeaked. Lupin raised his eyebrows, and Harry felt suspicious. Both looked at Sirius, who shrugged.

"Alright, it was a bit hard keeping Moony in check without you, Prongs," he said, gesturing to Lupin, and then Harry in turn. "But not too hard…We managed to explore the grounds for a bit, then Peter and I took Remus back to the Shrieking Shack once dawn came close, and he started to get tired…But it wasn't too hard, was it Wormtail?"

He looked at Peter, who shook his head and said, "No, not hard." Harry couldn't tell whether this was true or whether Lupin, Sirius, and Peter were just trying to make him feel less guilty. At any rate, it was working.

"I heard Evans talking about last night with her friends," Sirius added, looking pointedly at Harry. "I reckon she's worried about you."

"Lily, worried about me?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yeah," said Peter. "She was furious at Snape, but didn't curse him last night. I remember her saying something about visiting you…Lily doesn't seem so angry at you anymore James-you got more than you should've, I guess."

Harry's heart lifted a bit more, and his happiness at not having ruined his father's relationship with Lily remained even after James' friends had left for their afternoon lessons. It was around dinner time when Madam Pomfrey, satisfied with Harry's healed wounds, dismissed him from the Hospital Wing.

The first person he found (or rather, who found him) was a young boy with black hair, who looked vaguely familiar and who called him out in the hallway. "Had fun last night, Potter?" The boy couldn't have been over fifteen years old, and his voice sounded cold and taunting. He had on a prefect's badge with the Slytherin colors, confirming to Harry that he was in or above fifth year.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked slowly, still trying to figure out how he thought this boy looked familiar, even though they had never met

"With Severus," the boy said, smirking slightly. "Bet that came as a shock-he got you good."

"Did he now?" Harry asked, feeling annoyed. "Well, I'll get him next time. I have to ask, who are you?" He knew it was a risky move; James had probably known this boy. The boy, sure enough, frowned, looking at Harry as though he (Harry) was crazy.

"Did Snape hit you _that_ hard with the curse? Or are you just naturally mental?"

"Erm…" Harry had no reply, but it was obvious this boy wasn't going to give him a straight answer.

"You're mental," the boy answered himself, sounding disdainful, and turning around to leave. "I should've expected it from someone who hangs around my brother so much; it was bound to happen…" He shook his head and disappeared down the corridor.

Suddenly comprehension dawned on Harry. _"…From someone who hangs around my brother so much…"_ He had been talking to Regulus Black, Sirius' brother. Harry had never met him-Regulus had been murdered about a year before Harry's parents were killed-but he shared some of Sirius' traits. Now feeling slightly unnerved about how much other people he might not know, Harry set off towards the Great Hall.

"James? She's _staring_ at you," Peter whispered to Harry as he did his homework. All of the Gryffindors were in the common room, as it was after hours and they couldn't be out. "It's like she's…transfixed…on you." Harry looked up, and saw Lily's face redden slightly as she hastily looked away.

"I'm alright, she knows that by now," Harry muttered. "So what does she want?"

"You," Sirius answered with a smile on his face.

"She spent the last few years saying she hated me!" Harry said, confused. Unless something had happened that Harry had not known about, he was sure that he was right.

"Maybe she was covering up," Sirius said simply. "People do that. And girls-they're so confusing! I swear, no one can figure them out!"

Harry, who had had some experience with confusing girls (in his fifth year he had dated one named Cho Chang, and she had been really difficult to figure out), nodded. He was sure that Lily had been just as confusing to his father, and that this was just the beginning.

"Moony, you've been really quiet," Peter said to Lupin. "What d'you think?"

Lupin, who had been working on a long essay for Potions, one that Harry and Sirius had already finished (and that Peter was only half concentrating on), looked up. "I dunno," he said, evidently thinking hard. "Lily's usual very straightforward. Then again, this is a very different situation from the usual, isn't it? We'll just have to see, I guess."

Harry moved on to a Transfiguration essay on Conjuring spells. Next to him, Sirius was writing a very long essay about how airplanes stay up for his Muggle Studies class, and Peter was panicking over the Potions essay. Lupin was trying to help him. They worked straight through with an unusual amount of concentration for about an hour and a half. Then-

"So," said a voice, interrupting the quiet. Harry looked up to see Lily standing there, looking at them, a frown on her face.

"So what?" Peter asked, sounding unusually bold.

"So, have you talked to James about Snape yet? You three are lucky you escaped without detention. And James was lucky, period."

"Detention? What…" Harry started, but Lily cut across him.

"They cursed Snape so he looked like a slug by the time the other Slytherins had enough sense to drag him to their common room!" Lily explained coldly. "They preformed loads of illegal hexes, and-"

"Look," said Sirius, "If you're here to lecture us, leave now."

But Lily didn't move. She looked angry. "You should-you should apologize to Snape," she said.

Now Sirius looked outraged. "Apologize to _Snape_?! Lily, where have you been?! After what he did to James, he deserved it!"

"James provoked him, and you know it!" Lily snapped. "Didn't you, James?" Her eyes flashed dangerously as they landed on Harry.

"Well yeah, I did," Harry said, feeling slightly ashamed.

"And you three didn't try and stop him," Lily said angrily to Lupin, Sirius, and Peter.

"We tried," Peter protested weakly. "We really did, but-"

"You didn't arrive in time," Lupin said calmly. "He really wasn't in his right mind. James has kept off Snape, and loads of others, ever since the start of the year. We all have. You can't tear him apart after one little slip. That curse Snape put on him was more of a punishment than he deserved anyway, and you know it."

For some reason, it looked as though Lily had tears in her eyes, and Harry couldn't even begin to fathom why. "The thing is, he'll do it again and again. And you know it James, you know you'll always be-"

"No, Lily, I won't," Harry said quietly, feeling nervous. "Just hear me out, think for a moment,-"

"About you? No!" Lily snapped. "I'm tired of it, James. You'll always be a stupid, bullying, arrogant GIT!"

"Come off it!" Sirius yelled. Peter looked as though he'd been slapped in the face, and Lupin was staring at Lily as though he had never seen her clearly before. Harry felt stunned. The only thing he could ask was _Why? _

Lily made an odd movement, as though she was going to take out her wand. Her hand made it as far as her pocket before she seemed to think better of it. Instead she picked up two books-one was James' Transfiguration book, the other Peter's Potions book.

All four boys must have been too stunned to react to Lily's actions, because none of them did a thing to stop Lily from doing what she did next. She threw the first book at them. The Transfiguration book hit Sirius on the head; he cringed and put his hands up to the injured spot while cursing Lily under his breath. The second book, the Potions one, was thrown at Harry's chest with such force that it knocked Harry off the seat. Lily then turned on heal and stormed up the steps to the girls' dormitories. The whole room went silent as the door slammed seconds later.

"Bloody hell," Peter whispered, looking shaken. Harry picked himself up off the floor and looked around. Everyone was staring at him. Blushing slightly, Harry gathered up his books and his essay. Next to him, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter were doing the same. In total silence they headed back to their own dormitories.

As soon as Peter, the last one in, closed the door, Harry let out a long sigh. "That was horrible," he said. "Honestly, she-"

"She was mental!" Sirius said loudly. "Why was she sticking up for Snape? She knows Snape doesn't appreciate it! And she _was_ worried about you before, not angry, so why would she be angry now?!" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, and evidently thinking hard.

"It was weird," Lupin said quietly. "She didn't have a good reason. I mean, you've been pretty good this year, haven't you? And Snape's curse was more than enough punishment. She knew it, too. I just…don't know." He too lapsed into thoughtful silence.

Harry had no clue why his mother had gone off the handle like that. He changed into his night clothes feeling confused and angry at Lily. What right did she have to yell at him like that?

As if in answer to his question, someone from across the room said "Ahhh….I know!"

Harry turned around. Sirius had jumped off his bed and was pacing. "You know what?" Peter asked curiously. Sirius turned to face him and Harry. Lupin, also interested, crossed the room and sat on Harry's bed.

"Maybe," Sirius said, "she thought you had changed for good, and then you messed up the other night with Snape. She was starting to…er…_trust_ you-" Lupin and Harry exchanged looks, and knew trust wasn't the word Sirius had meant to say. "-and now you've broken it. What I mean is…" He started pacing again. "Lily was starting to like you, I'll bet anything, but now she's not sure."

"I see," Lupin said. "That's why she looked like she was going to cry! It all fits! She was starting to like you, James, but then you showed her the exact reason she didn't like you in the first place. She's just as confused as we are!"

Harry stared at the both of them, comprehension dawning on him. _So I confused her, and now she's got no clue what kind of person I really am I-er, I mean James, really is, _Harry thought. He looked up at the others. "So, how do we fix this?"

The other three exchanged looks, clearly at a loss. Then Lupin said simply, "We'll have to talk to her." Peter and Sirius gave him incredulous looks, as though talking to Lily was impossible. "Don't worry, Prongs. Between the three of us, you'll have Lily, don't worry. All we have to do is _think_ before we do or say anything." The last few words were directed particularly at Sirius, who usually acted before taking the time to think about things. It got him in trouble a lot.

Harry frowned, not convinced. Lily was just too stubborn to let three of James' friends convince her that James was the perfect guy for her. Seeing Harry's look, Lupin said, "Don't worry. Everything will work out."

_But will it be for better, or worse?_ Harry thought. Needless to say, he didn't sleep too well.


	3. How to Get a Guy

It took Lupin the better part of two days to organize whatever he planned to say to Lily. With his Invisibility Cloak, Harry was to hide in the classroom of Lupin's choice and listen while each of James' three friends talked to Lily. That way they couldn't lie to him, and Harry would be able to decide for himself whether Lily was truly convinced or not. He still wasn't sure whether Lily would even participate in the conversations, but, to his surprise, she did.

The first took place with Peter. Harry snuck into an empty classroom with him after dinner and Lily arrived shortly after. They both sat on old chairs, and Harry stayed quietly in the corner, watching.

"So…" Peter said, not looking at Lily. A dull blush was creeping up his cheeks.

"This is about Potter, right?" Lily asked, frowning. "I knew when Remus said all three of you wanted to talk to me that it was about Potter. So, what about him?"

Peter lost his nerve. Still looking at his feet, he stuttered, "Er….H-he r-really l-loves you, L-lily."

"Oh Peter," Lily sighed, shaking her head. She slid off her chair, and left the room. Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, feeling annoyed.

"What was _that_?" he asked Peter angrily. He felt that dating his own mother was wrong, but at the same time thought, _My parents' relationship is on the line! _Harry knew he'd have to keep things going well until he got back to his own time. Then, he hoped, the _real_ James Potter would return and he, Harry, would not have to worry.

"I dunno," Peter mumbled, and they exited the room.

Lupin and Sirius were waiting outside, both with curious looks on their faces. "You made your point that quick?" Sirius asked, looking amused.

"He was terrible!" Harry said, not caring if Peter's feelings were hurt. Peter, even though now he was innocent, was still the one who would later betray Harry's parents.

"Ah, well," Lupin sighed. "Sirius and I have still got our chance. Hopefully Lily will pay more attention to one of us." He looked disappointed, but didn't say anything else to Peter as they headed back towards the Gryffindor tower.

Sirius was next. He and Harry, who was under the Invisibility Cloak again, headed for the same empty classroom after dinner the next day. They slipped into the room, and Sirius sat in one of the chairs as Harry stood in a dark corner, waiting…

Lily opened the door and walked in briskly, almost business like. She took the seat across from Sirius and folded her hands. "Well?"

It was obvious Lily expected to be unimpressed. Harry hoped that, overnight, Lupin and Sirius had managed to come up with something better than "James loves you."

"Well, I know why you blew up at James like that the other night," Sirius said.

Lily raised her eyebrows at him, clearly not believing that he had any good reasoning behind her outburst. "Do you, now?"

"Yes, and it just happens to have to do with what Peter said-"

"What?! I don't love him!" Lily shrieked, nearly skidding backwards in her chair, looking shocked. "You have no proof! It's just some-some silly theory."

"A theory that's right," Sirius told her. "I never said you loved him, it just has to _do_ with that feeling. You were beginning to think that James was really a nice guy, and not a bullying toe rag like before, because he laid off Snape for awhile. Maybe you even started to like him. And then when James messed up…you got confused. You didn't know what to do, or think. You're angry because you don't know who James is, do you?"

"I-er," Lily stammered. She looked even more shocked, but for a different reason. Harry wondered what Lily was thinking. She opened and closed her mouth for a few minutes, then breathed, "_Sirius!_"

She got up and began pacing, thinking hard. Sirius remained in his seat, and Harry didn't dare move. After a few minutes she sat down again and looked at Sirius in a slightly amazed way.

"What?" Sirius asked sharply.

"Well, you…that was actually a really good theory," Lily said. "And you came up with it yourself?"

"Remus and I did. What, did you think we couldn't? Because that hurts, Lily…" Now he was teasing her. Lily smiled.

"No, you guys are pretty smart, sometimes," she said, still grinning. Harry had a good feeling about this, mostly because Lily was now open to whatever Sirius wanted to say.

"So was I right?" Sirius asked carefully.

"Yes," Lily said, sounding more thoughtful than anything. "Yes, you were, and that scares me a bit. Am I really that obvious? But please, don't tell James now, and don't ask anything else. I think I'll talk about everything else with Remus tomorrow night. I'll see what he has to say."

"Do I get a prize for being right?"

Lily laughed. "Get out!" Sirius gave her a mock bow, laughing slightly himself, and exited the room. Harry quickly darted through the door just before Lily, who went off towards the Great Hall. Sirius seemed to be heading for the library.

They turned a corner, and Harry, feeling sure that Lily was safely headed back towards the common room, pulled off his cloak and began stuffing it in his pocket. "Where are we going?"

"The library," Sirius replied, walking at a very fast pace. "Lily and her friends shouldn't be there, so we can talk to Moony and Wormtail without them hearing us. What'd you think?"

"I think Moony will be pleased," Harry said. "It's his turn next, so he'll be happy that you got something accomplished." Harry felt a bit guilty for overhearing the conversation though. Lily had said _Don't tell James now_, hadn't she? He didn't voice his opinions, however.

They entered the library, which was nearly empty. Harry checked his watch; it was 8 o'clock, so they had an hour to talk and get back up to the common room before it became after hours. Lupin and Peter were sitting at a table surrounded by bookshelves, both looking anxious.

"How'd it go?" Lupin asked apprehensively.

Harry exchanged the briefest look with Sirius before replying, "Great." Lupin smiled, and they began discussing what he was going to say to Lily the next night.

The next evening, as Harry stood in the same corner of the same classroom, waiting with baited breath. Lupin was sitting in a chair, also waiting. He didn't look nervous at all, and Harry admired him for it. Standing in that corner, he felt very, very nervous.

Lily walked in looking calm. She took the seat across from Lupin and said, "Hi. Listen, yesterday Sirius got to the point about my feelings, so maybe you can help with what comes next?"

Lupin stared at her. "You want _my help_?"

Lily laughed at his disbelieving tone. "Yes, I want _your_ help. You're James' friend, and the only one who's capable of thought at that." Lupin smiled slightly.

"Alright, listen. You need to get to know him more, and he needs to get to know you as well," Lupin said seriously. He looked firmly at her, and she nodded. "Take it slow, and don't get angry if James messes up a bit, okay? He's improved a lot, so…'

"Okay," Lily replied, not looking at Lupin. "It just seems so weird. I tried to deny it for a long time, but it was hard. And hiding it was harder."

"You did a great job, in my opinion," Lupin said. "For all James knew, you might've wanted to hex him into oblivion." Lily grinned again, in a slightly apologetic way. "Now, should we…er…go?"

"That's _it_," Lily said, stunned. "There's nothing else you need to say? How am I supposed to-?"

"Become his friend," Lupin repeated, still smiling. "James will be pleased." With that, Lily walked out of the room, looking very happy with herself, and Harry walked towards the common room with Lupin.

"Great," Harry told him, grinning. "Great, Lily likes me! This is the best night of my life!" He was actually sincere, feeling glad that he had managed to save his parents' relationship, though in the back of his mind he wondered where the wardrobe that would take him back was…It had to be somewhere…

"Oh, you'll probably have better nights," Lupin said cheerily. They entered the Gryffindor common room, but instead of staying and sitting in the armchairs by the fire they headed straight up the stairs into the boys dormitories.

Sirius and Peter were sitting on James' bed, Sirius looking over a piece of parchment and Peter looking worried. They both looked up as Harry and Lupin entered the room. "Well?" Peter asked.

Lupin simply smiled and said, "Sirius, what're you looking at?"

"The Marauder's Map," Sirius replied coolly. "I saw you coming." Harry remembered, from his third year at school specifically, that the Marauder's Map was a map his father and his friends had created showing Hogwarts in detail (with several secret passageways) as well as where the people inside Hogwarts were and what they were doing at all times. The four friends had signed it with their nicknames; Moony (Lupin), Wormtail (Peter), Padfoot (Sirius), and Prongs (James). The nicknames had to do with what animal each could transform into.

"_Well?_" Peter repeated impatiently.

"Well, Lily's going to be friends with James, get to know him better, and then possibly date him…" Lupin said happily.

"It was great," Harry added for effect. He wanted to sound like his father would have-completely thrilled by Lily liking him.

"_Really?_" Peter asked, his eyes wide. He looked impressed. _Yeah, no thanks to you,_ Harry thought with more viciousness than was necessary.

"I'm serious," Lupin replied, his grin widening.

Sirius, who had also looked very happy with the news, suddenly took on a more mischievous look. "No," he said carefully. "_I'm _Sirius!" Harry didn't know whether to laugh or yell at him, and Peter had doubled up in silent giggles.

Lupin grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked Sirius with it. "That-is-the-_worst_-joke-ever!" Lupin said, hitting Sirius with the pillow as he said each word. He was smiling, though, which took away from the affect.

"Actually, I thought it was quite funny," Sirius laughed, grabbing his own pillow and swinging it at Lupin.


	4. Quidditch

"You need to set up Quidditch practice, you know that. Right?" Frank Longbottom, one of the other seventh years, told Harry during lunch a few days later.

"Mm?" Harry asked. He had not been paying attention, but instead had been thinking up a way to look for the wardrobe that would send him back to his own time. As he began to get more settled into his father's life, the urgency to get back became greater. Harry didn't want to get too deeply involved.

"Quidditch," Frank repeated, frowning. Harry thought he resembled Neville Longbottom, who was in his year in his own time, vaguely. Neville looked more like his mother.

"Didn't we have the first game already?" Harry asked, confused. The first Quidditch game of the season usually took place in the fall, and it was December, as far as he could tell.

"Yeah, but we still need to practice," Frank persisted. "Or have you forgotten that you're Captain?"

Harry might have said he had, and it would've been the truth, but he kept silent. Thankfully, Lupin came over and asked, "What's up?"

"Quidditch practice," Frank told him. "We haven't had one in _ages_, and I need something to do."

"Is tonight good? Right after dinner?" Harry asked, hoping the Quidditch pitch would be available.

"Fine," Frank replied briskly. "I'll go tell the others." With that, he got up and walked away. Lupin frowned.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" he asked slowly.

"What?" Harry asked. Another problem occurred to him: facing James' parents. His grandparents. He'd never met them before, and had no clue how to act. "Oh, I guess I'll just…stay here. You?"

"I'm going home," Lupin said. "My mum insisted. She said she needed one last Christmas with me before I go off into the world. But it's not like I wouldn't have come home anyway, right? I still would."

"Right," Harry said. He couldn't share the sentiment, because his parents were dead. The closest he'd had was Sirius, who had also died, and the Weasleys. But James had parents, and Harry felt it was his job, yet again, to act the part. "D'you know what everyone else is doing?"

"Oh, you know Sirius is staying here. He's got no family to go to…"

"He's got mine!" It was just the thing his father would've said.

"He said he'd rather spend his last year here. It's kind of sentimental, really, seeing as we'll never be back." Here Lupin sounded rather sad. "Peter's going home, too. Lily's staying." At that point, Harry decided to stay. His father would've stayed just for Lily's sake. Lupin checked his watch.

"You'd better get going. The Quidditch pitch isn't going to book itself, you know," Lupin said, grinning slightly. Grabbing his bag, Harry left the Great Hall.

Luckily, Harry had experience with being a Quidditch Captain because he had been appointed one in his sixth year. However, he had never played the position of Chaser, while his father had been an expert. Harry was a Seeker.

He walked down to the changing rooms with Sirius, who was apparently the team's Seeker (and was surprised that it had never been mentioned to him before), and Frank Longbottom, who played the position of Beater. The rest of the team, people whom Harry didn't recognize (except for one of Lily's friends, though he didn't know her name), were waiting. They took a few moments to change into the Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms before Harry began to talk.

"Since there's no upcoming game, I just thought we would use what we already know during practice," Harry told the team, feeling slightly awkward as he did so. "We'll play like a regular game. Chasers try to score against the Keeper, Seeker gets the Snitch as many times as he can before practice ends, and the Beaters should prevent the Chasers and Seeker from fulfilling their goals. Got it?"

Everyone nodded, and Harry felt a bit happier knowing that they were convinced he was James. But once they started playing…

Harry dragged the crate of balls out; they included the two black bludgers (which tried to knock people off their broom when the beaters hit them, the Quaffle (a red ball used by the Chasers for scoring goals), and the Golden Snitch (a small, golden ball with wings which was caught by the Seeker and gave that player's team 150 points).

He released the balls and then shot up into the air on his father's broom, hoping that he at least had _some_ talent for Chasing. After ten minutes, in which he fumbled with the Quaffle several times and didn't score once, Harry fully appreciated how hard the Chasers' job was. Trying to score or receive passes with other players zooming around and bludgers being pelted at him was a bit scary. At least when he was Seeker he had stayed out of the thick of the game, and even then had received his fair share of injuries.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, pausing on his broom for a moment when Harry called a break.

"Yeah," Harry replied breathlessly. A few more players came up to his level on their brooms.

"At least the Slytherins aren't watching, like they sometimes do," said the girl Harry recognized to be one of Lily's friends. She had brown eyes and shiny brown hair, and was very pretty.

"They didn't know, Danielle," said Frank in a tired way. "This practice was last minute." Harry noticed that the faces of everyone on the team were flushed, and it was getting colder by the minute. It was dark, too.

"What d'you reckon, one more game?" Sirius asked, shivering slightly as he spoke.

"Yeah," said Harry, also shaking with cold. "Yeah. Then we'll go in."

In the ten minutes before Sirius had caught the Snitch and ended their 'game', Harry had played progressively worse, the cold numbing his hands and making them clumsy. The team seemed relieved to head back into the warmth of the castle.

After everyone had changed, Harry told them "Great practice guys." A few people exchanged looks but left in silence, except Sirius and Frank, who were walking back with him.

"Don't," Harry muttered, "say a word about it." They walked up the marble staircase.

"About what?" Sirius asked.

"I was terrible!" Harry complained. He knew that the other two were wondering why.

"Was Lily on your mind?" Frank asked, eyeing Harry with something like understanding. Harry stared at him, then looked round at Sirius.

"He _knows_?" he asked hoarsely. "_He knows_?"

"Prongs," Sirius said, looking tired, "you've been after Lily for…_years_, now that I think about it. It was obvious! How would Frank _not_ know? Unless he's been living under a rock for the past three years, but he would've known."

Harry had forgotten about how obvious his father had been, and felt his cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment. "Right," he murmured grudgingly.

"Speaking of, how have things been with Lily?" Sirius asked. "You've been together loads of times these past few days, and yet you've never told any of us anything."

"Oh, we've just been getting to know each other better," Harry replied, remember his talks with Lily. "She talks about her sister a lot." Lily's sister was Harry's Aunt Petunia.

They entered the common room, and Frank headed off to the Boy's Dormitories. Harry and Sirius went to sit by Peter and Lupin next to the fireplace.

"Her sister?" Sirius asked as they sat down; Peter and Lupin exchanged confused looks. "What about her?"

"How was practice?" Peter asked.

"Terrible," Harry said miserably. "I'm horrible."

"There's something I've never heard," Lupin said, frowning. "You mind was on Lily, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Harry replied, thankful for the excuse.

"What about Lily's sister?" Sirius asked impatiently.

Peter looked stunned. "She has a sister?" he asked incredulously. "I've never heard of her! She doesn't go here, we'd have known!"

"Well, her sister's a Muggle for some reason," Harry explained. "She's older, but didn't get any powers. But Lily did, and it seems like she's jealous."

"I would be too, if my brother ended up with powers and I got nothing," Sirius said. "And you'd think she would've gotten _something_ because she's older…"

"Her sister's name is Petunia, and she's been really mean to Lily ever since, calling her things like 'freak'. It's sad, actually. Her own sister hates her now. But her parents think it's wonderful." A lot of this Harry had been told by Lily, but on rare occasions his Aunt Petunia had spoken, not too kindly, of Lily and sometimes James.

"Wow," Lupin said softly. "That must really hurt Lily."

"It does," Harry said. "Lily wishes that her sister would just accept her powers, but she can't. She hates anything out of the ordinary, anything to do with magic."

"Lily should curse her," Sirius said.

"No, she shouldn't! And she wouldn't!" Lupin said looking shocked. "Honestly, the ideas you come up with…" He shook his head.

"What? Lily's of age! She can do magic outside of school," Sirius retorted. "Her sister deserves it, obviously. I would do it."

"And that makes it right? It's right because _you_ would do it?" Lupin asked, his eyebrows raised. Harry thought he sounded a bit like a teacher.

"Sure, if you say so," Sirius replied, grinning slightly. Harry wondered what he would do. After spending years living with his Aunt Petunia and her husband he, at times, would have cursed her without any regrets. But there were other times when her knowledge, however limited, of the wizarding world made Harry appreciate her.

"Honestly!" Lupin said again. He took out his Potions book and started reading something. Harry remembered his own homework and took out his wand to practice Conjuring spells, which he still hadn't gotten the hang of. Professor McGonagall warned him that he had better learn the spell because they would be starting advanced Human Transfiguration soon, which was harder.

"Still having trouble?" Lupin asked over the top of his Potions book. Harry nodded. While his father had been very bright in school, Harry was just average.

"Here, I'll help," Sirius said, taking out his own wand and standing up. "Forget Conjuring tables, and forget McGonagall's complicated theories. In the end, it's rubbish. Concentrate hard on something you really want to Conjure up, anything."

"And please, nothing inappropriate," Lupin said.

"Why, I would _never_," Harry told him, half laughing. "Just trust me."

"What _are_ you planning on Conjuring up anyway?"

Harry thought of something he would really want to appear, something that wasn't overly complicated.

"Lily," Sirius answered for him jokingly. Harry hit him in the arm and said, "No, not Lily. She's too difficult anyway." Lupin rolled his eyes. Peter was watching in anticipation of what would happen next.

Harry decided on a large plate of treacle tart, which was his favorite dessert. After voicing this aloud, he concentrated with all his might and then said the incantation. To his surprise a large plate full of treacle tarts appeared in midair, hovered there for a few seconds, and then fell with a loud crash to the floor. Several others looked around in shock.

"Sorry," Harry told everyone in the room. He waved his wand and muttered, "_Evanesco!_" The plate and desserts vanished.

"You did it!" Lupin exclaimed. He and Sirius were beaming.

"Yeah, good thing too. McGonagall would've had a fit if I didn't learn it," Harry said, grinning. He wondered whether Hermione would be proud of him. After all, this was magic beyond their sixth year level. _Then again_, Harry thought to himself, _Hermione's probably mastered the spell already. She's always learning things ahead of time._

They practiced for quite a long time, until Harry had managed to Conjure up chairs, tables, and several other large objects with almost no difficulty. It was nearly midnight when they headed upstairs.

As he got ready for bed, Harry noticed the Marauder's Map on Sirius' bed and was tempted to take it. He needed to find out where that wardrobe was, and the map would be a great help in finding it. He resisted the temptation, though, for fear of being asked why he needed the map. Harry wouldn't be able to give a straight answer. The map haunted him in his dreams that night.

"This is ridiculous," Lupin mumbled, shoving several Hogwarts robes into his trunk and then picking up a few scattered books.

"What's up?" Harry asked. He was sitting on his bed, watching Lupin move things around.

"I've lost my Potions essay, and I need to hand it in before I leave!" Lupin replied frantically, throwing the book aside and looking under his bed.

"Try this," Sirius told him. He raised his wand and said, "_Accio Moony's Potions Essay!_" From somewhere in Lupin's trunk zoomed a piece a parchment, which flew into Sirius' outstretched hands. He handed it to Lupin, grinning.

"I hate you," Lupin muttered as he took his essay. "I'm off to see Slughorn." Professor Slughorn was the Potions master.

"He's tense," Harry observed as soon as Lupin had left the room.

"It always happens," Peter said. "He's just worried about getting everything done before the holidays. He and I are leaving this evening."

"But you're not having kittens over your homework," Harry said.

"Yeah, well, I don't do as well in class, do I?"

"No, not at all," Harry answered. Peter's cheeks turned slightly pink, but Harry didn't care. He wasn't going to be nice to the person who had betrayed his parents.

"So, you're staying then, Prongs?" Sirius asked, trying to sound casual, as if it wasn't really important. Harry knew it was, though. Sirius would want the company, considering the fact that he now had no family.

"Yeah," Harry said. He wasn't quite sure that James' parents knew, but he could always write them a letter. "So is Lily. I think it's just us three, actually, for seventh year."

"I heard Snape was staying too," Peter piped up. Harry grimaced; if anyone could ruin Christmas it was Snape.

"I should warn the Professors then that anything that happens to Snape over the holidays is _not_ my fault," Sirius said with a smirk. Harry laughed and wished he could play pranks on Snape in his own time. It was impossible, though, because in his time Snape was a teacher, and doing anything to him might result in suspension, or even expulsion from Hogwarts.

"No one'll believe you," Peter told him. "I'm glad I'll be away. I don't want to know what McGonagall's gonna do to you if you break the rules again."

"I've been good this year," Sirius replied. "It's like a present to myself. Besides, Snape still needs to get what he deserves for putting that curse on James. We promised revenge."

"Well the 'we' turned into you," Peter said.

"That's only because you're going away," Harry pointed out. Peter nodded slightly.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Sirius said to both of them. "I've already got a few things in mind…" Harry and Peter exchanged curious looks, knowing that whatever Sirius had in mind couldn't be good for Snape.

But that wasn't the only thing on Harry's mind. He was still wondering how to get back to his own time, but now something even more pressing invaded his thoughts. How would he spend Christmas with Lily? What would he do? What would _James_ do?


	5. The Future and the Past

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry's other friend who was very smart, had long since given up searching for Harry. The last person to have seen him was Ron, and Harry had told him to get back to the Gryffindor Tower, and he would meet him there. But Harry had never shown up.

Ron had suspected that Filch had caught Harry and was punishing him, but it became clear over the next few days that Filch had nothing to do with Harry's mysterious disappearance. The teachers had noticed too, and were worried.

"Oh, what if someone kidnapped him?" Hermione moaned to Ron as they sat in the Gryffindor Common room trying to do homework. "It's been _ages_, and even Dumbledore hasn't found anything. What if it was a Death Eater…?"

"Hermione, please," Ron snapped, looking very tense and tired. "It's bad enough without you saying the worst possible thing. I'm sure-"

"Check the map," Hermione interrupted. It had become a ritual for Ron and Hermione to check the Marauder's Map every day, several times a day, to see if Harry was on it. It was a very useful map; Ron's twin brothers Fred and George had found it in Filch's office and had passed it down to Harry in his third year. Harry had left it with Ron the night of his disappearance.

Ron took out his wand and tapped the map with it while saying, "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._" Lines of ink blossomed from the wand's tip, forming the words:

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers _

_Are proud to present_

**THE MARAUDER'S MAP**

The rest of the map came into view and Ron and Hermione scanned every inch of it. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking in Dumbledore's office, the Slytherins were having Quidditch practice, and Ron's sister Ginny was coming up behind them, though Ron and Hermione didn't take any of it in. The only thing they noticed was Harry's absence from the map.

"Have you found him yet?" A voice asked loudly in Ron's ear, making him jump. He turned around to glare at his red-headed sister, Ginny, who was only a year younger.

"No," Ron grumbled as Ginny took the map from him. "Why?"

Ginny, still scanning the map, frowned and said, "Well _I _care about Harry too, you know! Or is that not allowed?" She looked deeply upset, and Ron realized that she hadn't smiled in awhile, not since Harry's disappearance.

"You're allowed," Ron muttered, his ears reddening slightly in embarrassment. "Just don't sneak up on me like that. It's annoying." It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that Ginny didn't make a joke about Ron being scared of her.

Hermione was lost in thought. She stood up and asked, "Can I see the map, Ginny?"

"Fine," Ginny said as she handed it over. "It's no help anyway." Hermione sat down and studied the map, then took out her wand and tapped while saying, "_Mischief managed._" The map went blank. Hermione started examining it again. Ginny and Ron exchanged bewildered looks. Why would Hermione want to look at the blank map?

"Um…are you okay?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Yes, why?" Hermione answered, one of her fingers tracing imaginary lines on the parchment.

"Because" Ron said, "you're looking at a blank map as if it's the most interesting thing in the world, that's why."

"I just had an idea," Hermione said quietly, looking up at Ron and Ginny.

"What?" they both asked together, desperate an answer, any answer, that might lead to where Harry was.

"You know how the map insulted Snape in our third year when he asked it to reveal itself?" Hermione asked them excitedly.

Ron and Ginny exchanged yet another confused look before Ron replied, "Yeah, but what's that got to do with-?"

"I'll tell you what!" Hermione cut across him. "What if we asked the map where Harry is? It might know! After all, if the map was smart enough to know who Snape was…"

"It only knew because Harry's dad and his friends knew who Snape was at school," Ron told her. "They made the map! But only two of them are alive now and they don't know where Harry is, and it doesn't matter because the map's already been made and they can't add to it now!"

"No, but what if Harry _is_ in Hogwarts, but hidden? Like when that Slytherin got stuck in the broken cabinet last year and couldn't get out for awhile. He wasn't on the map either."

"I doubt the map knows, and I really don't think Harry's at Hogwarts. They would've found him! I mean come on, the teachers really care about him. They're working really hard. They wouldn't let anything get passed them-"

"What do you think, Ginny?" Hermione asked sharply.

Ginny, who had been watching their argument with interest, said, "I dunno. If the Marauders were smart enough to even invent the map, and get it to insult Snape, then maybe it can find Harry… I just don't know."

Ron snatched the Marauder's Map from Hermione, looking annoyed and angry. "That's ridiculous, it won't work," he said. "Just drop it, okay?" He stormed up the stairs into the Boy's Dormitories. They heard the door slam shut a few seconds later.

"Don't take it personally," Ginny said to an upset Hermione. "He just doesn't want to get his hopes up and then have the crash back down if it doesn't work. He's upset. We all are."

"I know," whispered Hermione, looking slightly scared. "I hope they find Harry soon. I hope he's okay." Harry wasn't the only thing on her mind, though. No matter what Ron said, she still wanted to try asking the map questions. The hardest part would be getting the map from Ron.

Snape walked into the dark and cold Slytherin common room, which was located by the dungeons. He walked into the Boy's Dormitories and sat on his bed. Something near the foot of the bed caught his eye. He looked over and gasped in shock and rage.

His trunk was full of his Hogwarts robes, as always, but they had all been dyed hot pink. Snape cursed himself for leaving his trunk unlocked and began sorting furiously through the robes, only to find out after few seconds that the robes he was wearing were also turning pink, possibly from exposure to the previously dyed robes. He cursed very loudly and kicked his trunk, which hurt his foot. It only made him curse worse than before.

Snape had an idea of who might have done something like this. It was either James Potter or Sirius Black (or both, which was not uncommon for them), and he was determined to bring them to justice. One thought was confusing him, though. How would either of those two know the Slytherin password? He stormed out of the Dormitory and stopped short just when he reached the exit. It was now after hours, and being caught out would risk detention and a loss of House points. Fuming, Snape turned around. _Those idiots aren't worth it,_ he thought viciously.

His hair was beginning to turn pink from exposure to his robes. How he was going to get all of the pink out was a mystery that would not be solved until morning.

Harry was talking to Lily in the Common Room. The fact that there were no students that stayed around was comforting to Harry. Talking to Lily in front of them all would've been awkward. But a majority of the Gryffindor students had gone home for Christmas, and the rest were most likely in bed.

"I can't believe its Christmas Eve already," Lily said softly while gazing into the flames of the fireplace. She looked slightly upset.

"Why?" Harry asked. "It happens every year around this time."

"Yeah, I know." Lily had a far away look on her face, as though searching for distant memories. "It's just that summer is going to be a lot closer from this end of the year. We'll be leaving, and it's sad. Hogwarts is almost like my second home."

Harry could relate completely. It was what he looked forward to each and every year, and although he was only a sixth year, the thought of leaving the safe school scared him a bit. His life was quite uncertain after Hogwarts. "Well, it's not like we'll never see each other again, right?" Harry asked.

Lily frowned at him. "What job do you want to have when we leave?" she asked him.

Harry wondered what James Potter would've said, but couldn't think of anything. He decided to get back to it later. Maybe, if he looked hard enough in his father's belongings, he might just find out the information he needed. "I'll tell you tomorrow," Harry told her.

"Why?"

"Because I wanna see you again," Harry replied, feeling that it was the best excuse he could come up with at the moment. Lily smiled and rubbed her eyes, looking into the fire again. "Tired?"

"Yeah, I think I'll go up to bed." They stared at each other for a moment, and Harry was reminded of the time in his fifth year when he had been left alone with Cho Chang, a pretty girl a year above him. Being alone had led to kissing, and Harry, as much as he cared for his parents' relationship, couldn't grasp the thought of kissing Lily. She was, after all, his mother. The back of his neck started prickling uncomfortably.

"Merry Christmas," muttered Lily softly, and then she leaned in and kissed Harry lightly on the cheek. Harry smiled as she turned and walked up the stairs and out of sight.

He touched the spot on his cheek where he had just been kissed, stunned. His father might have jumped up and down but Harry was simply in shock. Lowering his hand he whispered, "Merry Christmas" to the empty room before heading to bed.


	6. How's Your Love Life?

"PRESENTS!" There was a very loud bang.

"AAARGH!!!!"

Harry banged his head against the back of his head, shocked by the sudden yelling. Grumpily he ripped opened the curtains surrounding his four poster bed and yelled, "Last I checked there were only two other people in here! Not a bunch of banshees! What-?"

Frank Longbottom, who was also staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, was jumping up and down excitedly, holding a large package. "Presents!" he yelled again. Harry looked at the foot of his bed to find a large stack of presents. Then he looked out the window. It was dark.

"Git," Harry muttered, pulling the curtains closed, but Frank ripped them open again with another shout of "Presents!"

"Shut _up_!" Sirius shouted from his bed, clearly angry.

"No," Frank laughed. "It's Christmas! Get into the spirit!"

"Oh, I'll _give_ you spirit," Sirius growled. Harry was also on the verge of cursing Frank. It was the earliest he'd ever been woken up.

But Frank seemed unreachable. Walking with big flamboyant steps around the room he broke into song:

"_Dashing through the snow in a one horse open slay_

_Ore the fields we go, laughing all the way!_

_Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright!_

_What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight!"_

Harry reached into his pocked and pulled out his wand, racking his brains for a good spell. Once he found one he opened the curtains on his bed and took aim….

"_Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! _

_Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh-HEY!_

_Jingle-"_

"_Silencio!_" Harry and Sirius both yelled, jumping off their beds with their wands pointed at Frank. Frank had just started to sing louder, but nothing came out. He shot the other two deadly glares before returning to his bed and ripping open a package.

"Finally," Harry sighed, climbing back into his bed.

"'Night, James," Sirius muttered. Harry nodded, and just before he fell asleep again he remember that the Silencing Charm wouldn't wear off until Harry and Sirius took it off Frank. But he was too tired to get up and uncurse Frank now. Besides, he deserved it…

A few hours later, when it was light out and when most of the sane world was beginning to wake up, Harry found himself waking up suddenly. The reason was apparent the second he opened his eyes; the curtains on his bed had been thrown open, causing sunlight to flood in. Squinting through the light, Harry saw Frank Longbottom tapping his wand to his head on the other side of the room. Grinning slightly, Harry sat up, put on his glasses, and stood up.

Frank turned to Harry, who muttered the counter curse. However, after doing so Frank still remained silent. Harry frowned.

"What?" he asked sharply. "I took it off, really."

Frank mouthed _Sirius_ and pointed to his bed; one side's curtains had been completely ripped off. Laughing silently, Harry remembered that they had both put the curse on Frank, so if the curse had been powerful enough, they would both have to take it off. Harry went to open the other side of the curtains to wake Sirius up but-

"Don't even think about it, Potter," Sirius' voice came from the other end. It sounded shaky, as though he had been laughing. "I'm up." He opened the curtains and stood up, looking at Frank, who was glaring at him. Sirius shrugged, then muttered the counter curse. Frank let out a breath.

"Whew!" he said with a sigh. "I tried waking you two up, but honestly, you both sleep like rocks!"

"Why didn't you take it off yourself?" Sirius asked, half laughing.

"I…er…forgot the counter curse," Frank muttered, his face turning slightly pink as he said it. Harry said, "You're in seventh year! How are you gonna survive in the world if-"

"Oh, shut up, James," Frank snapped. "It's Christmas, okay?"

Harry nodded, but he was still smirking slightly. "Speaking of Christmas," Sirius turned to Harry with an interested look on his face. Harry had a feeling he knew what was coming next. "Prongs, what are you getting Lily?"

Harry had searched James' trunk frequently enough to know exactly what he had been planning to give Lily, and had thanked the heavens that James had already gotten the present before Harry had come to his time. "Um…something nice."

"A kiss?" Frank asked happily.

"_What?_" Harry gasped. He didn't want to kiss his own mother, even it did become necessary!

"You've wanted to for so long," Frank said. "It makes sense."

"Oh. Sorry, I thought it was a bit random."

"No!" Frank exclaimed, so loudly it took Harry and Sirius by surprise; they both jumped slightly and turned to stare at him. "Wait! It's perfect! Just get under the mistletoe; it'll be so romantic. She'd love it! I'm serious, James." 

A small grin was forming on Sirius' face. "No, Frank. When are you going to learn? _I'm _Sirius."

Frank frowned in a confused way. "No, I am. You didn't say anything. Did he?" His eyes turned to Harry, who wondered how Frank had not heard the joke before.

"If you were Sirius, there'd be a _serious_ problem," Sirius said calmly. "It would be dark magic, really."

Frank finally seemed to understand, and he rolled his eyes. Harry smiled slightly and said, "But really, we need to…" He'd been about to say "Get serious about this" but decided instead, for the sake of preventing more jokes, "We need to _focus_." Sirius' grin widened, as though he knew why Harry had chosen that word.

"Listen," Frank said enthusiastically, "I got my girlfriend Alice to be mine with a romantic night. It gets them!"

"Lily's not Alice," Sirius said. "She's not what you'd call _normal_ either. She doesn't even care, for instance, that James is an awesome Chaser, and won an award for it, when half the school does. Instead she obsesses over how arrogant he is or how many times he bullies Snape for no reason." Frank nodded, taking this in, and gave Harry a well-then-you're-doomed look.

"I'll find a way," Harry said, trying to sound confident like his father would have. "I always do. Now can we open some presents?"

"Already done," Frank said brightly.

"Only 'cause you're insane," Sirius muttered so only Harry could here him. Harry laughed softly and turned to his very large pile of presents.

"Prongs, this is stupid," Sirius muttered. Harry barely heard him as he crouched low to get a better view. They were talking by using two-way mirrors, the same ones that Harry had been given by Sirius in his own fifth year at Hogwarts. Harry was holding the mirror limply by his side.

"Quiet, Padfoot, I'm trying to concentrate. She's talking to Danielle," Harry said, making out the pretty brown haired girl as she walked into Harry's line of vision. "Do you see anything?"

"Yeah, Lily," Sirius responded quietly. "She's talking to Danielle now, like she always does. She's pretty."

Harry rolled his eyes slightly, even though Danielle really was pretty, and asked, "Can you hear them?" There was no response. "Padfoot?" Harry frowned at the silence. "Sirius!"

He heard a thud, then Sirius hissed angrily "What!"

"Stop daydreaming about Danielle," Harry snapped, trying to sound as obsessed with spying on Lily as James might have. "It's not like she's your girlfriend!"

"Oh, so you going off into space at random moments to think about life with Lily is okay, then?"

"Well, yeah, 'cause I'll actually get her," Harry replied. "And it's not like I was doing anything important at the time."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "So the time you nearly fell in the Black Lake doesn't count?" Harry quickly whispered, "No! And stop making so much noise!"

There was silence for a few more minutes, and Harry noticed Lily drifting off towards Sirius' end of the hall. "Sirius, she's headed your way!" Harry held up the mirror to his face, but all he saw was black. "Sirius!" He was wondering whether he had gone off into another daydream when he heard a quiet bark. Lily had moved completely out of sight now.

Suddenly, as Harry watched them go, Sirius said, "I'll follow them, they're going outside!"

"What?" Harry gasped, fumbling with the mirror. He saw Sirius' face in it when he brought it back up; he was grinning widely. "Are you mental? They'll see you, there's nowhere-"

"You are one _forgetful_ person," Sirius laughed.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked tensely. Could his lack of knowledge lead Sirius to believe he wasn't really James?

"Um…how did I get the name 'Padfoot'? Think hard now…" Harry thought, and then it hit him. Sirius, James, and Peter were all animagi! In the recent commotion of Christmas he had forgotten, and now he slapped his hand to his forehead as Sirius asked, "Done?" Harry nodded. "Good."

Harry stood up and turned the corner, following Sirius distantly into the Entrance Hall. The oak front doors were open, and Harry could see some students walking around, while others were having snowball fights. Walking to the threshold of the door, Harry watched as Sirius transformed into the big shaggy black dog he had learned to recognize so well in his own time. The dog ran across the grounds towards Lily and Danielle. Several people laughed, but Sirius disappeared behind some bushes before Lily looked around. Feeling slightly relived, Harry walked back into the castle.

Harry was sure now that he would know, by the time Sirius got back, whether it was the right time to give James' present to Lily, depending on how Lily felt towards him (James). He rounded a corner, hoping that Lily brought James up in the time Sirius was spying on them, and walked straight into Severus Snape.

"Aargh!" Snape jumped back a few feet to see who he had bumped into, and his face took on a disgusted look when he saw Harry. "Potter!" he spat, looking all too furious for someone who had only been thrown off balance.

Temper," Harry said, and he couldn't help smiling over how angry Snape had gotten over one small mistake. The smile seemed to only make Snape's anger worse.

"Potter! You-you…I'm going to get you!" Harry raised his eyebrows, unaware of what he had done to Snape. He had a strong feeling it had nothing to do with them bumping into each other. Upon deciding this, Harry decided to take a better look at Snape.

He barely choked back his laugh. Snape's hair had been cut, very badly, to just around chin length (it had hung to his shoulders before). It looked at though someone had placed a bowl over his head and cut the hair sticking out. Harry wouldn't have been surprised if that were actually the case. The edges were uneven, and on one side of Snape's head there was a very, very short piece of hair sticking up.

"Think it's funny, Potter?" Snape hissed. "Tell me, is _this _funny too?" He whipped out something hot pink, and shoved it under Harry's nose. It was one of Snape's Hogwarts robes.

"Er…" Harry replied, lost for words. He was very near laughter by now.

"_Well?_"

"Merry Christmas?" Harry tried. Snape let out a howl of rage and threw the robes in the air. They fell at his feet and he stomped on them aggressively, taking a few seconds to do this. _Ron would have gotten a kick out of this,_ Harry thought, grinning again. Then it hit him: he really missed Ron and Hermione. But even as their faces burst clearly into his mind, Snape broke the image by letting out another yell.

"You did this! It was YOU!" he shrieked. Harry stared, and the reason why Snape had been so angry, why he had lost his temper the minute he saw Harry's face, became apparent.

"No I didn't," Harry snapped. "Why?" He knew why; James, the real James, had always played pranks on Snape (and many others) when he was at school. But Harry, being Harry, hadn't taken the time to play a prank. _But Sirius said he would, _Harry remembered, recalling the conversation he and James' friends had had right before Christmas break.

As if on cue, and to Harry's great relief, Sirius' voice came from behind him (and Snape's eyes narrowed in anger), "Snivellus, I'm disappointed." He came to a stop next to Harry, grinning slightly. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold.

"Disappointed in _what_, Black?" Snape snapped, his own cheeks reddened with anger.

Sirius nodded towards the pink robes on the floor. "Disappointed that you didn't figure out who _really_ did that."

"_You?_ You did this!"

"Me." Harry was reminded of a confrontation Snape had had with another Professor during his fourth year. Leaning into Sirius, he whispered, "We should leave." Sirius inclined his head towards Snape, who was picking up the pink robes. Harry understood that Snape would've forced them to stay, some way or another, if they tried to leave.

"Why?" Snape hissed, shaking the robes in their faces.

Sirius' eyes traveled to Snape's hair. "Nice haircut," he muttered. Snape's face turned a dark purple.

"You'll pay, Black," Snape hissed, as some students passing by began to stop and look.

"Pay how?" Harry asked, trying to sound genuinely interested. "You'd get in trouble if you did something too drastic, you know."

Snape's eyes narrowed even further as he stuffed the pink robes into his pocket. "There _was _a way to get that pink stuff out," Sirius said, watching him. "You just had to-"

"Shut up, git!" Snape snapped, and he turned around and walked away. Sirius uncharacteristically watched him go without comment, his face impassive. They started walking, though where, Harry had no clue.

Finally, after a few moments' silence Harry asked, "Did you find anything out about Lily?"

"Loads," Sirius said quietly. "She's admitted she likes you to Danielle, for one thing, which means she's not in denial."

"Now if only she'd tell me," Harry muttered, reminded of how frustratingly complex girls always were.

"Yeah." Sirius smiled slightly. "But sometimes they never say a thing," he said bitterly. Harry had the strong feeling that Sirius might have experienced something like this first hand. "It's stupid, really. But Lily's been hoping you'd do something nice over Christmas. She liked her conversation with you last night."

Harry nodded, taking it in. "Anything else?"

"I make a great pet, in the opinion of the first years," Sirius laughed.

"Romance related," Harry clarified with an eye roll.

"Yes, but it's got nothing to do with Lily. That doesn't count, does it?"

Harry considered this. He knew who his dad had liked, but he felt some curiosity on the subject of who his father's friends had liked. _Though it must not have turned out well for any of them,_ Harry thought. _After all, none of them are married._ He considered seriously asking Sirius what was going on in his love life, as the adult Sirius had never told Harry during the short time they knew each other. But something told him not to, and he didn't. His mind drifted over, instead, to Lily.


	7. The Christmas Gifts

Harry spent the time after dinner trying to locate the classroom with the mistletoe hanging over the doorway, using Frank Longbottom's directions (he had, apparently, kissed someone earlier that day). He had written a note earlier and had given it to Sirius, who in turn gave it to Lily. Harry hadn't been to certain that Lily would actually read the note, but Sirius told him she had, with Frank as a second witness, and Harry took their word for it.

Turning a corner Harry walked down another long corridor feeling slightly nervous. What if he said or did something to mess everything up? What if Lily hated the present? What if Lily hated _him_? In a panic, Harry took out the mirror in his pocket and whispered, "Sirius Black."

It took a good ten seconds for Sirius' reflection to appear in the mirror along with, for some strange reason, Frank's. In those ten seconds Harry had thought up everything possible that could go wrong.

"Get lost, Prongs?" Sirius asked. Frank looked a cross between amused and insulted, as it was he who had written the directions.

"Not lost, no," muttered Harry. "Just…nervous. What if something goes wrong?"

"He spends years not worrying about making out with Evans and now this," Frank said in an amused voice. "James, is it really true? Are you _that_ nervous?"

"Lily's waiting for you in the classroom. It's just down the hall from you," Sirius informed Harry.

"How d'you know? Oh-the map!" Harry was reminded that he had to get the map to examine it. "What do I do? Quick!" He added in a panic.

"Stay calm," Frank said. "Take your time, don't be too forward-"

"When you're kissing, let Lily decide what kind of kiss she wants," Sirius added. "You know, if she wants regular or French-"

"What?!" Frank and Harry asked at the same time. Harry had never thought of French kissing!

"What do you mean, 'what?'" Sirius asked, sounding annoyed. "I mean really, it's not like you haven't been spending years thinking of kissing her, James."

"Well I…er…" Harry couldn't find anymore words as he felt his cheeks flush. His father _had_ been like that but he, Harry, did not like to think of kissing his mother.

"I need my girlfriend," Frank said wistfully. "As soon as we're done here I'm off to find Alice."

"I need…Danielle," Sirius said, his cheeks going slightly red. "But she's not my girlfriend, so…"

"Ask her out!" Frank said. "Just do it!"

"If you're so confident why don't you?"

"Because she's not going to be my girlfriend, idiot, she'll be yours!"

"Oh, yeah…" Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Right, so…Good luck, Prongs. Break a leg!"

"Or a tongue," Frank murmured, a smirk appearing on his face. "Or _more___"

"Ugh, Frank!" Sirius yelled. "Great, now I'm going to think of that every time I see a girl. Forget asking Danielle out tonight, or this month…"

"By guys," Harry said, laughing slightly as the noises of their argument died away as he put the mirror in his pocket and, head held high, walked towards the classroom.

As soon as he opened the door h spotted the mistletoe in the doorway. Lily came into focus next, her cheeks flushed, looking as pretty as ever. Harry felt himself blushing, knowing what he had to do and knowing he didn't want to. _You HAVE to, it's your parents relationship on the line, _Harry told himself. _If something goes wrong, you won't exist. _

With that comforting detail in mind, Harry walked towards Lily and, smiling, said, "Hey."

Lily blushed. "Hey, yourself, Potter," she said quietly. "Why did you want to meet me here?"

"Two reasons," Harry said, fingering his pocket nervously. "One: I have to give you your Christmas present."

"Oh James!" Lily gasped. "No, you shouldn't have!"

"I had to, actually," Harry relied, his hand closing around a small object in his pocket. He pulled it out; it was a small red box. With confidence, he handed it to Lily.

Lily took it and opened it slowly. Then she gasped as she pulled out a golden heart-shaped locket with her name on it, in a flowy script. "James," she breathed. "This is…beautiful. Wow, I-I don't know how to thank you, or what to say. I…Thank you!" She blushed, looking flustered.

Harry grinned. "Happy Christmas, Lily," he said. Then- "I love you." Lily looked up, surprised and yet not. Harry continued, "I love you like I've never loved before. I mean it, Lily."

Lily smiled slightly and said, "Don't you think we're moving a bit fast?"

"I'll slow down if you want," Harry suggested. Lily smiled. "Maybe just a little," she murmured. She leaned towards him, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Happy Christmas, James." Then she left the classroom, leaving Harry in awe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sirius Black." Harry said the name clearly into his mirror, but Sirius' face would not show up. Harry felt panicky, reminded of how Sirius' face had not appeared in the mirror after the battle at the ministry. His heart racing, he quickened his pace to the Gryffindor Common room.

There, a few students were studying. Harry hurried to the boy's dormitory, and found upon entering that no one was there. He looked around swiftly, and something caught his eye.

On Sirius' bed was the Marauder's Map. Despite being worried, Harry walked over and picked up the map, recognizing this as the perfect opportunity to take it for examination. He quickly walked back to his own bed and placed the map in the pocket of his robes, then stopped. He took it out and scanned the paper for Sirius' name.

He found it in a closet near the Great Hall, along with the name Danielle. Harry had to laugh,; Sirius had suspected him of being with someone in a closet the day he had arrived, yet _he_, Sirius, was the one who actually made out with people in such places. Harry, laughing, re-pocketed the map and went to bed, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

The sun shone brightly the next morning when Harry woke up. He found Sirius up also, reading a book. Before Harry could ask him what he was reading, Sirius looked at him and said, with a completely straight face, "I want to drive."

Harry, who had never heard a wizard say that before, was startled. "What?!"

Sirius sighed. "It looks like an interesting way to get around," he said. Then he grinned slightly. "Imagine me pulling up to my parent's house with a car. They'd be outraged."

"I'll bet," Harry said, watching him carefully. He never talked about his family. Ever.

"So…" Sirius straightened up, looking Harry in the eye. "How was it last night, with Lily?"

"Great," Harry replied. "She loved the present. She kissed me on the cheek again, but I think we're getting somewhere." Now it was his turn to stare down Sirius. "Where were _you_ last night?"

Sirius leaned back and grinned as though remembering something wonderful. "I was with Danielle, mate. She is a great kisser, I have to say. I love her. But…" He sat up, his brow furrowing a little.

"But what?" Harry asked quietly. Sirius looked troubled.

"She doesn't know me too well, and she's a Muggle-born, and I'm afraid that, if she finds out about my family, she'll think I'm just like them. And she won't like me too much." Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then he looked up and grinned slightly before Harry could come up with anything to say. "Sorry, James, this is stupid. I shouldn't be putting a damper on your own love. So tell me, what's your next move?"

Harry stared at Sirius, surprised by his sudden show of vulnerability and then by his ability to get over it so quickly. It left him tongue tied. Luckily, Frank Longbottom burst into the room happily before Harry could say anything.

"I just had the _best_ night with Alice!" Frank exclaimed while gasping for air. Sirius gave him a clap on the back, then turned to Harry and said, "Lupin should be back today. Wanna go meet him in the Great Hall?"

Harry nodded, glad for the diversion. As they walked, he asked, "Why is Lupin coming back so early?"

"As much as he loves his family, we're better," Sirius said with a laugh. "But really, I don't know. I got a letter from him last night by owl saying he would be back today. It didn't say why."

They entered the Great Hall and waited there. Harry was just about to ask Sirius what time the train was coming with Lupin on it, when he heard Sirius murmer "That git." Harry turned to see who Sirius was glaring at, expecting to see Snape, but instead seeing Regulus.

Regulus was with a bunch of Slytherins, having entered from outside, and as he passed turned to Sirius and stopped, noticing his older brother's glare. An annoyed look on his face, he turned and whispered something to his friends, then walked up to Sirius and asked, "What is it _this_ time?"

Sirius looked like he wanted to curse Regulus. Instead he said, coldly, "Nothing. Just thinking about how much I hate you. Oh, and do me a favor. Relay the same sentiment to my parents."

Regulus glared at him, his glare almost as vicious as Sirius'. "They don't care about your opinion of them anymore. You're no longer family, or have you forgotten?" He smirked. "I hear you have a new girlfriend. A mud blood, is it?"

"She's not a mud blood!" Sirius snapped. "Her blood is much purer than yours!" Harry, meanwhile, couldn't help thinking how fast the news had spread. "How did you find out?"

"My friends told me as soon as I got off the train," Regulus answered, looking impatient. "Anyway-"

"So the train is here?" Sirius asked, more to himself. He looked over Regulus' head at the arriving students, no doubt searching for Lupin.

Regulus ignored the question. "Sirius," he snapped, gaining his older brother's attention. "It's that kind of attitude that got you burned off the family tree." Regulus looked proud now, and he turned to leave.

"I-wait…what?" Sirius asked, looking astonished and, to Harry's surprise, hurt. He concealed his hurt quickly, though.

"Yes, Sirius. I watched Mother do it over the break. It was about time," Regulus said with a careless tone. He started walking away. "Oh, and I look forward to seeing you at the next Quidditch game," he tossed over his shoulder.

Sirius glared at his brother's retreating back. Harry was confused over what Regulus had said last, and asked Sirius about it. "Oh, he's Slytherin's Seeker," Sirius replied, and this new bit of information surprised Harry as much as Sirius' being Seeker surprised him. "He's not great though…Where the hell is Lupin?"

Harry could tell that Sirius was visibly upset. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. He could see now that Sirius looked more upset than before.

Sirius ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "I just…I'm going to go think. Listen, tell Remus I'll see him later, okay?" And with that he left, leaving Harry alone feeling confused as ever, and sorry for his godfather.


	8. The Trouble With Black

Lupin appeared in the crowd of returning people not too long after Sirius had left, and now Harry was eager to talk to him. As he approached, Lupin looked happy and greeted him with, "Hey James! Happy Christmas!" Then, looking around Harry he asked, "Where's Sirius? I thought he was staying."

"He is," Harry said, then lowered his voice so that only Lupin could hear, "He had a run in with Regulus, who gave him quite the Christmas gift." Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh no," Lupin whispered, looking worried. "It's never good when those two run into each other, especially since last year, after Sirius ran away. What happened?"

"Regulus told Sirius that he was burned off his family tree," Harry muttered quietly. "Sirius went off to think. He was already worried about something. Hate that Regulus made it worse."

"Made what worse? What was he worried about?" Lupin asked with a sense of urgency. "He never worries!" They turned into the corridor leading to the library.

"He was worried about Danielle, who's his new girlfriend, by the way, finding out about his family's views on muggle borns. He thinks she'll think he's the same way."

"Oh…but he's not! That was obvious from the first day we met him, and he was sorted into Gryffindor. And even if that happens, Lily can set her straight." They turned into the library and kept their voices low. Picking a table far from the entrance and surrounded by books, they sat down. Lupin looked straight at Harry. "Speaking of girlfriends, how was _your_ Christmas?" Briefly, Harry explained what happened with Lily, which made Lupin smile.

"We're not really a couple, if you know what I mean, but we both know we like each other," Harry explained. "We're just…taking it slow." _Which is good, because I need that time to figure out how to leave,_ Harry thought.

It was very quiet, save for the rustling of pages. Then, suddenly, the sound of voices reached their ears.

"I swear, if you don't let me talk-"

"Why should I listen to you?! You're not even-"

"Shhhh! Lower your voice! People might hear you!"

Harry and Lupin pressed their ears to the row of books next to them-the voices sounded familiar, and they were coming from the next isle over. Staying completely silent, hardly daring to move or breath, the two boys listened.

"So let them hear me!" one of the boys said defiantly. "I've got nothing to be ashamed of!" Harry thought he recognized the tone of the voice more than anything.

"Shut up, Regulus, or I swear I'll curse you!" the second voice hissed. Harry longed to see through the books, because he now knew the owners of the voices. The first belonged to Regulus. The second was unmistakably-

"_Sirius!_" Lupin mouthed, looking shocked. Harry nodded, pointed to his ear, and then to the books. They strained their ears to hear.

"Curse me? Ha! I know things you don't know, just like Snape knows them," Regulus hissed back, almost menacingly. "He's been teaching me, actually."

"Dark magic? Regulus…" Sirius' voice sounded exasperated and-to Harry's great surprise-worried.

Regulus seemed to voice Harry's thoughts. "You're not worried, are you? After all, you did leave the family." There was the slightest hint of bitterness in his voice. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about? I know it wasn't dark magic."

"My girlfriend, Danielle," Sirius whispered. "Just…don't tell her about my-the family if you see her. She won't understand."

"As mud bloods never do," Regulus muttered with a laughed. "And what's stopping me, anyway? You, cursing me? Like I said, I know more-"

"First off, she is NOT a mud blood!" Sirius' voice was getting slightly louder. "Second off, Regulus, you shouldn't be doing dark magic! It will get you into trouble, I guarantee, as will hanging around with Snape's lot. Do you want to end up a Death Eater?" Harry was surprised by how much Sirius worried for his brother. Maybe he felt that he could make Regulus see that his family was wrong in their beliefs. Maybe he cared for Regulus despite everything, just because they were brothers. Maybe it was a last ditch attempt to save Regulus from what was sure to be a cruel fate, in Sirius' eyes. Whatever the reason, the silence that followed was deafening, and the roomed seemed suddenly cold. Then-

"Yes." Regulus' whisper was so soft Harry might have imagined it. "Yes, I do, Sirius. Congratulations, you've figured it out."

"Fine," Sirius said quietly, his voice shaking, after another lengthy silence. "Go. Join Voldemort's-" and here, Regulus let out a small gasp that Harry knew so well from his own years of saying the name- "army. I'm done caring. Don't come crying to me when you get in too deep, when he decides he doesn't need you. I'm…_disappointed_ in you, Regulus." Each word seemed to cause him pain. "I just hope that one day you can see which side is the right one."

Regulus' reply came quickly, with much sarcasm. "So sad, Sirius. I've made my decisions, and I'm proud of them. I don't need _you_ to tell me what is right and wrong." He paused, then added, "I'm sure your girlfriend will find our family _very_ interesting." Then Harry heard footsteps, and knew Regulus had gone, leaving Sirius behind.

Lupin and Harry stared at each other, shocked at what they had just witnessed. Harry wanted nothing more than to go comfort Sirius, but that would give away the fact that they had been eves dropping. It was awhile before they heard Sirius' footsteps, leaving the library. It was even longer before Harry and Lupin left, neither daring to talk about what they had witnessed.

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As Christmas break came to an end, Harry found himself dreading the day that Regulus would tell Danielle about the Black family and what they really stood for. Sirius seemed even more distracted, probably by his brother's life choices as much as by the situation with Danielle. He could only pray that Danielle would be understanding, or that Sirius could talk her into believing something else. He wanted to help in some way, and the only thing he could thin of was to talk to Lily, Danielle's best friend.

"Do it," Lupin said quietly to Harry one morning as they were changing. "Before Quidditch practice. Not only will you be able to help Sirius, but you'll also show Lily that you can trust her." Harry nodded, and shortly after breakfast set out to find her.

Lily, according to the Marauder's Map, was out and about on the grounds, by herself. Harry caught up with her near the Black Lake and they fell into step with each other.

After a few minutes of silence Harry said, "I have to talk to you, if that's alright." Lily nodded, the raised her eyebrows questioningly. "It's about Danielle. She's dating Sirius, and he's worried about what she'll think if she finds out about his family."

"Oh…" Lily looked thoughtful. "That could be a problem. She hates it when people treat muggle borns like they're lesser beings. So do I, but…"

"But you know Sirius isn't like that," Harry finished for her. "Danielle doesn't know him too well, though, so she might think otherwise. So, I guess I'm asking you a bit of a favor…Can you talk to her?"

"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything," Lily said. She looked thoughtful. Then she turned to Harry, smiling. "You know what? You are a great friend, James." Harry smiled and replied, "So are you, Lily."

Barely an hour later, Harry found himself on the Quidditch pitch with a slightly depressed Sirius, a very confused Danielle, and a love-struck Frank Longbottom. And he, Harry, who was no where near as talented a Chaser as his father. Half their team was in disarray, and Harry knew it wasn't going to be a good practice. But he had to make the most of it, as it was their last practice before the game between Gryffindor and Slytherin that upcoming Saturday.

"Okay, team, liven up! This is our last practice before the game and, well, we need more work," Harry told his team. "So, let's get going!" He clapped his hands together, and they started practice.

His Chasing skills had improved, but only slightly. He made less mistakes, and even scored once. It was hard, though, with the Beaters trying to distract him from his goal by hitting bludgers at them constantly. Harry just wished for Sirius to catch the snitch already so they could take a break. But Sirius was distracted himself, and the game was brought to an end after a grueling 45 minutes.

Harry had no words of inspiration for the team. He knew what everyone's problems were, but couldn't address them. Instead he sat, catching his breath, and watch his team members. He saw Sirius catch Danielle's attention, then mutter, "I need to talk to you." They disappeared for a bit.

Danielle re-appeared looking upset right as Harry was about to re-start practice. What worried Harry, however, was when Sirius did not show up for the rest of practice. He ended up walking to dinner alone to meet Lupin and Peter, who was back now. They both asked him where Sirius was, but Harry had no response, and he wasn't about to reveal to them that he had the Marauder's Map.

As he walked up to the common room, he passed the Gryffindor ghost Nearly Headless Nick, who did a double take and drifted towards him. "James!" he called, making Harry stop. "James, I need to tell you something." Harry gave Nick an expectant look, so he continued, "I believe your friend Sirius Black needs some talking to."

"Why?" Harry asked, though he feared he knew the answer.

"He was awfully moody when I tried to talk to him, and he also looked upset," Nick explained. "In which case I'll have to excuse his moodiness. But he does look like he needs to talk to someone."

"No worries, I'll talk to him," Harry said quietly. "Good night, Nick." Nick gave him a nod and floated away, leaving Harry to talk to the Gryffindor tower, find his godfather, and talk to him.

Finding Sirius wasn't hard. He was sitting on his bed when Harry entered the boy's dormitory. He looked up when Harry entered the room with an apologetic expression on his face, and said, "Listen James, I'm sorry for walking out on practice, it's just that I decided to tell Danielle about…you know…before Regulus and she told me that it was against her morals to go out with someone from a family like mine. And I was upset, so-"

"Don't be sorry," Harry said quietly. "I'd have done the same thing. And _I'm_ sorry about what happened." Sirius nodded slightly. "Sirius, it seems like you've been having a tough week. If you need to talk to any of us…"

"Nah, I'll be fine," Sirius said, brushing it off with a grin. "I was just worried, but now the worst part is over with Danielle. I can't say I didn't expect it." Then, after a pause he added, "So how're things with Lily?"

"The same," Harry answered. "We're getting real close." He smiled a little.

"That's good," Sirius said, smiling also. "Trust me, you two are going to get married one day, have kids, and live wonderful lives together."

_You have no idea,_ Harry thought, an amused smile forming on his face. To Sirius he said, "Maybe, if I'm lucky."

"James Potter, you are one of the luckiest people I know," Sirius said. Then, after moving his bed sheets around he asked, "Have you seen the Marauder's Map? I seem to have misplaced it…"

"It's somewhere, I'm sure. Maybe the others have it," Harry answered, nearly laughing. Sirius gave up looking, and together they amused themselves eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans until bed. 


	9. The Game

That night Harry found himself up late, using light from his wand to look over the Marauder's Map. The curtains around his bed were drawn, and he looked, on the map, at the spot that was supposed to be the dormitory. He saw five names : Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom, and James Potter. Harry had been quite curious as to what the map would show as his name, and was surprised-but only slightly-to see his father's name. After all, Sirius had been looking at the map, and he would have mentioned it if something was out of place.

Harry moved the wand carefully over the paper, examining each and every room drawn on the map as carefully as possible. As he looked and did not find what he was searching for, he wondered if the wardrobe had even existed in his father's time. Thinking back, Harry remember it had been ancient, so it had to have been in existence. But what if it had not been in _Hogwarts_ at this time? The wardrobe had a familiar look to it, and Harry, after much thinking, realized with a jolt that it was the wardrobe Lupin had used to hold a boggart in Harry's third year. _Something must've happened to it since then,_ Harry thought.

With a sinking feeling of dread, Harry put the Map back by Sirius' bedside, knowing it would be of no use to him now. He needed to figure out a way to get back. He wanted, in the back of his mind, to know why his father's name appeared on the map and not his. Lupin had told him once that that map couldn't be fooled by invisibility cloaks and such, but what about time travel? Feeling hopeless, Harry fell into a fitful sleep.

"James, wake up!" Sirius practically yelled in Harry's ear, pulling the blankets off of him harshly. "It's the day of our Quidditch match, you dolt, and you're Captain! So get your arse up!"

Harry sat up and groped for his glasses. Sirius was standing before him, looking amused. He was fully dressed in the Gryffindor Quidditch Team uniform, and was grinning ear to ear. "And the best thing, Prongs," he said, " Is that the Marauder's Map has mysteriously returned to me overnight. Isn't that great?"

"Wonderful," Harry mumbled, struggling to get dressed. He felt tense about the game-he still wasn't a good Chaser. Then something clicked in his brain. "Sirius, I was actually thinking about the map. We've tricked it to see those who try to conceal themselves, but can time travel trick it?"

Sirius frowned, thinking. "You mean, if someone was to be sent into the future, or into the past, would it detect them?" Harry nodded. "Somehow, I don't think so, and frankly, if we could get the Map to identify time travelers we would, but we can't." There was another pause, then, "You know, Prongs, if someone traveled into the future from the present the map would probably recognize them because they already _existed _with the map, if you know what I mean. But if you came from the future to the past, it might not because that person hasn't come into existence yet for the map to recognize it." Sirius shook his head. "But honestly, Prongs, you shouldn't get me thinking that much before a match. I'll get a headache."

Harry sighed. He figured Sirius' theory explained his absence from the map, if Sirius was even right (although it actually sounded good to Harry), but it wouldn't explain why Harry appeared as his father. He brought it up to Lupin over breakfast.

"Well, for once, Sirius is making sense. Logically, that's probably what would happen with the map in that case," Lupin said. "Unless, of course, the person or persons in question time traveled _with_ the map, in which case it would show everyone in that time including themselves. I know that for a fact. Sirius tested it with a time turner."

Harry had experienced what Lupin had been talking in his third year as well, when he and Hermione had used a time turner to rescue Sirius. "Where'd you get the time turner?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I never told you that story?" Sirius asked, looking shocked. "Well, I found one lying around in my house one day and decided to test the map. Needless to say, when I got back my mum was so angry, she smashed the turner. A shame, too, because it would've come in handy for…stuff." Lupin exchanged a look with Harry and Peter, sitting next to Sirius. They all knew that "stuff" meant pranks in Sirius case.

"So, d'you think you guys are going to win?" Peter asked, looking at both Harry and Sirius.

"Well, considering how yesterday's practice went-" Sirius started, but Harry cut him off.

"We'll win," Harry said abruptly. Sirius gave Peter a look that seemed to say, _We're doomed_. Harry chose to ignore it.

"What happened at yesterday's practice?" Peter asked, and Harry shot a glare in Sirius' direction. Sirius shrugged. Lupin leaned forward, looking interested.

"Nothing!" Harry snapped. "Look, I'll tell you later, but I don't want to risk being overheard. The Slytherins might take advantage of any weaknesses we may or may not have." He stood up, abandoning his breakfast. "I'm going to the pitch, now, to change. Sirius, you can come or stay, I don't care." Sirius stood up as an answer, and the two of them walked out of the Great Hall together.

"Prongs?" Sirius ventured, after a few moments of silence. "You look tense."

"You would be tense too if you were uncertain of your team winning," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Against _Slytherin_, of all houses!" _And_, Harry thought miserably,_ I'm a sucky Chaser!_

"It's not so bad," Sirius said reassuringly. "All we need is a good prep talk, and you need to relax, and then we'll be as good as gold. It'll be fine, Prongs."

"I hope so," Harry muttered, and at that point they entered the changing rooms.

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"See Prongs, I _told_ you we weren't doomed!" Sirius yelled while zooming past Harry on his broom, pursued by his very angry looking brother, Regulus. Harry had no idea what they were fighting about, but according to the commentator, it was a common occurrence.

Harry cursed under his breath. Sure, the team was holding up, but _he_, Harry, was not playing to James' standards. And that seemed to put a dent in the well being of the rest of the team, and their point-gaining potential. Slytherin was ten points away from tying them at 50 points. Harry wished he had taken the opportunity to practice Chasing more in his six years at Hogwarts, but then again, he couldn't have known he'd be stepping in for his father, of all people.

"James, _concentrate,_" Frank yelled into Harry's ear. Harry gritted his teeth. He _was_ concentrating, he just wasn't a good chaser. At that moment, a bludger headed straight for Harry, who flipped and swerved away just in time. Then, another player threw him the Quaffle, which he dropped, dived for, and saved just in time for one of the Slytherin Chasers to catch up with him.

"And Potter fumbles the Quaffle-again-and is now being chased by a Slytherin Chaser, Avery, who is gaining speed-" the commentator, who sounded oddly like a past commentator in Harry's own time, Lee Jordan. "Can Potter regain his skills before it's too late? Will Slytherin tie the game? Oh, the suspense is just too much! Almost like that of a Muggle film, really-"

"Jordan," Another voice, Professor McGonagall's, cut in sharply, confirming that the speaker was in deed a relative of Lee's. "Stay on topic, please. Or I will remove the microphone from your possession."

Harry was gaining speed, but so was Avery, and just as he neared the Slytherin goal posts a bludger hit by a scary-looking Slytherin nearly knocked him off his broom, and he dropped the Quaffle, which was swiftly captured by Avery. For the second time, Harry cursed.

"Watch your mouth, Potter!" Regulus Black had flown by, shouting at Harry, who attempted to give him a very rude hand gesture, but was interrupted by another reminder to concentrate, this time from Danielle.

"Oh my, now Slytherin has the Quaffle, and Avery is speeding towards the Gryffindor goal posts-COME ON, BLOCK HIM YOU COWARDS. ARE YOU NOT THE BRAVE HOUSE-"

"Jordan!" McGonagall hissed. "I swear, I will-"

"Sorry-sorry! Anyway, Avery getting ready to shoot and-AH! He scores, tying the game at 50-50! Come on Gryffindor! Er…go, Slytherin." The last comment to Slytherin was said so unenthusiastically that Harry had to laugh.

His laughter had barely died when one of the Chasers threw him the Quaffle, which he actually caught. Harry sped across the pitch in the same fashion that a Seeker would go after a Snitch. Upon reaching the goal posts he stopped and, aiming with all of his concentration, threw the ball.

"POTTER SCORES! 60-50, Gryffindor!" Jordan shouted happily. Harry grinned, and several Gryffindor's whooped. "Now Slytherin has the Quaffle and-uh, oh, it seems as if someone has spotted the Snitch!" Harry whipped around. Sirius and Regulus were in a head-to-head dive towards the ground. "And it's Black and…er, Black headed for the Snitch, or at least a few broken bones. They're neck and neck and-OH!"

Harry, who had been speeding back towards the Gryffindor side of the pitch, looked around. Sirius and Regulus had apparently crashed, because both of them were lying on the ground. A whistle signaled a time out. The Gryffindors and Slytherins alike landed around them, shocked.

Regulus was lying on his back, looking very dazed. Sirius was sort of sprawled, and Harry helped him up. He also looked quite dazed, but held something in his hand up to Harry's face. "Look at that…we've won," Sirius murmured, an odd grin on his face. Then he passed out. Over by the Slytherins, Regulus seemed to have done the same thing.

"And-from the looks of it-both Seekers are unconscious but Black has the Snitch!" Jordan shouted.

"Which Black, you idiot?" someone else shouted from the stands.

"Oh, er, I meant Sirius Black," Jordan corrected. "GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!" All sections of the crowd, minus the Slytherins, burst into loud cheering. Below on the pitch, McGonagall had conjured up stretchers and was using magic to lift the two Seekers onto them, and them to float them out of the pitch.

Harry walked alongside Sirius, wondering what had happened. They reached the Hospital Wing to find Professor Slughorn, the current Head of Slytherin House, standing inside looking worried. "Will my Seeker be alright?" he kept asking the nurse, who looked slightly overwhelmed. She only answered with "We'll see," as she transferred Sirius and Regulus to two of the beds in the Hospital Wing. Pointing her wand to each of them in turn, she murmured, "_Rennervate!_" and both of them woke up, at which point she began examining them.

After perhaps fifteen minutes the nurse pronounced that they both had concussions, and that she would like to keep them for observation, but if they wanted to go back and celebrate (or in Slytherin's case, mourn) the outcome of the Quidditch match. Regulus chose to stay; Sirius, upon hearing his decision, leapt out of bed and grabbed Harry's arm, dragging him forcefully out of the Hospital Wing.

"Um…where are we going?" Harry asked, noticing that Sirius was leading him down a hallway that did not lead to the Gryffindor Tower.

"The kitchens, mate!" Sirius exclaimed. "You _are_ forgetful, James. We always get the food for the post-game parties!"

"Oh…" Harry said. He looked around, then asked, "So what happened, anyway?"

"Oh, well, we were in a dive for the Snitch, and I had taken my hands of the broom and was leaning forward, and the moment I caught the Snitch that git-Regulus, I mean-decided to push me off my broom. Well, I grabbed him to regain my balance, and we both fell."

"Wow!" Harry looked at Sirius again, more closely. "Are you okay?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I have a huge headache and I feel a bit off, like confused, maybe, but otherwise I'm fine! Especially since we won!"

They reached a hallway with some paintings. Sirius found the one of a bunch of fruits and tickled the lemon, which laughed. Soon, they found themselves standing in a kitchen full of house elves and food. The elves scurried about, and one came up to Sirius and Harry and bowed deeply. "What is it that you young Masters need?"

"Ah, we're throwing a post-game party," Sirius told the elf, who at once scurried away and alerted his fellow elves. Apparently, requests like this were such a common occurrence that the elves knew just what to do, and within minutes presented them with trays of finger foods. "Thank you," Sirius called out, and he and Harry made their way to the Gryffindor Tower, laden with trays of delicious snacks.

Upon entering the common room, Harry and Sirius were greeted by loud cheers and claps on the back. Harry put down his trays and looked around. The room was decorated with Gryffindor Banners and drawings of the Quidditch players. Across the room, Lupin was setting bottles of Butterbeer onto a table, and Peter was doing the same with an assortment of Honeydukes sweets.

Harry made his way towards them, and at once was clapped in the back by Peter. "Nice job, James!" he squeaked excitedly. "I knew you would win!"

"Interesting game," Lupin added, grinning slightly. "How's Sirius?"

"I'm fine, young Moony," Sirius said loudly, coming up behind Lupin. "I see you took care of the drinks and sweets. Nice!" He popped the top off of a bottle of butterbeer and drank deeply.

Harry took a bottle and drank as well, loving how the drink warmed him from the inside out. For once, he felt like he was back in his own time, having a post-game party with his friends. With a pang, he wished Ron and Hermione were here to celebrate with him. And Ginny, as well. He remembered the first time he had kissed Ginny, at a party just like this one…

Suddenly, Harry had an immense feeling of homesickness. He wanted to be back in his own time so badly, and realized that he was in trouble unless he could find a way to get back to his own time. That was a task that, as of now, was looking quite impossible.

"Prongs, go talk to Lily, mate! She's looking at you," Peter said in Harry's ear. Harry sighed, and determinedly walked over to Lily. He couldn't think about Ginny now, or Ron and Hermione. While he was here, it was his job to make sure he didn't drastically change history.

_The things I do_, Harry thought, as he sat down next to his mother.


	10. Wardrobes and Eyes

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger made their way to the entrance of Dumbledore's office, which was guarded by stone gargoyles. Both looked as though they hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in awhile, and both looked immensely worried. Ron looked nervous, too.

"Do you even know the password?" Ron asked Hermione as they neared the entrance, his voice tense.

"I've been asking around, and I believe it was 'chocolate frogs' according to one prefect," Hermione answered, sounding fairly confident.

"Let's hope your prefect is right," Ron mumbled. "Otherwise, we've got a problem."

"It was Ernie Macmillan," Hermione said. "I think we can trust him." They approached the gargoyles cautiously, and Hermione said, "Chocolate frogs." The gargoyles sprang to life, revealing a spiral staircase which led to the door to Dumbledore's office. Once there, Ron knocked cautiously.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice said from within. Ron opened the door, and he and Hermione walked into the office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, very calmly, his blue eyes sparkling. He gestured for Ron and Hermione to sit, which they did, and then spoke. "I assume you're here regarding the absence of Harry Potter, are you not?"

Hermione nodded fervently, looking surprised, and Ron asked, "How'd you know that?"

"Now would I be a good headmaster if I did not know the status of my students?" Dumbledore asked. Neither Ron nor Hermione answered, so he continued, "The teachers have notified me, and I have spent time trying to figure out where Harry has disappeared to, and have come up with a fitting solution. Now, if I were to tell you, and I'm sure you would love to know, you would need to promise to keep whatever I have told you here private. Do not tell anyone. Do you both understand?"

"Yes, sir," Ron and Hermione both answered. Dumbledore folded his hands together.

"Harry," he said, "has been sent back in time. He is no longer in our time-rather, he is in the past."

"What?" Hermione asked, incredulous. "How? That's impossible! All the time turners were destroyed last year! There's no way!"

"Ah, but you see, the ability to time travel wasn't destroyed," Dumbledore said. "If magic is applied properly, new means of time travel can be made. Which is exactly what I did."

"You made time turner?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No. I wanted to preserve the ability to travel through time, though, so I used an old wardrobe brought here by Professor Lupin, I believe, in your third year-"

"The boggart in the wardrobe!" Ron exclaimed, looking stunned.

"Precisely, that wardrobe," Dumbledore said. "Using the proper enchantments, I made it into a vessel through which one could access the past or future. When Harry disappeared and was nowhere to be found in the castle, I checked the wardrobe. There are ways of finding out if someone was in there. Sure enough, he had been there. Unfortunately, it was not quite finished, so Harry was sent to a time at random, and without wanting to be sent. He probably has not managed to find his way back."

"So…how does one get back into their own time after time traveling?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Well…Harry has to find the wardrobe in his own time," Dumbledore said. "That's the only way I know of, I'm afraid."

"But what if the wardrobe doesn't exist in his time?" Ron asked, looking panicked. "What if Harry never finds it? He'll be gone forever!"

"I designed this enchantment so that another time traveling wardrobe will appear in the same time-frame as the traveler. Harry has to find it, and unfortunately I cannot help him. It may take awhile, but I have explained the situation to his professors. Now, I think what we must worry about most is whether Harry changes history-past, present, or future. I don't quite know exactly what happens when one time travels in this fashion, as I have never tested this out myself. We can only hope it does not cause significant change to the time line."

"But won't it work the same way as a time turner?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so, seeing as the wardrobe is _not_ a time turner and the enchantments I used were a bit different," Dumbledore answered. "I hoped nothing like this would happen, but it did. Now we must wait. I assure you, I will contact you as soon as anything changes." Ron and Hermione nodded, both looking more upset than when they came in. "You may go."

Outside, Ron turned to Hermione and said, "I don't quite feel reassured."

"Neither do I," Hermione said, looking very worried. "In fact, I'm dreadfully afraid for Harry."

"Me too," Ron murmured. "Me too…"

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Harry was, for the first time since the Quidditch game, alone in the Boy's Dormitory. He was thinking about what would happen if he went back to his own time, and if James reappeared. James wouldn't know what had gone on these past few weeks. Which prompted Harry to write him a long, lengthy letter about the going-ons at Hogwarts in his absence. He would add onto it as time went on, and would, of course, sign it anonymously.

After about in hour the letter was finished and, as if on queue, Sirius burst into the room, followed by a nervous Peter Pettigrew.

"Prongs, I have great news!" Sirius said, jumping on James' bed. Harry hurriedly hid the letter in his pocket and looked expectantly at Sirius. "I got Snape again!"

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Snape was ready to kill Sirius. He said that Sirius had better sleep with one eye open," Peter said nervously.

"What did you do?" Harry asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"I still had some pink dye left over, you know," Sirius said slowly, a grin spreading over his face. "Well, I wanted to see if Snape actually cleans his hair so I put a bit of dye into his shampoo and…Well, let's jut say, I'm very surprised to learn that he _does._"

"It's semi-permanent dye," Peter added. "And _strong_, and that."

"He'll be pink haired for two weeks, at least, if he keeps up his hair-washing routine," Sirius continued. "Four weeks at most, if he doesn't wash his hair. It's a good way of keeping track, really."

"You did this by yourself," Harry said, skeptically.

"Peter here provided a great distraction, actually," Sirius said, gesturing to Peter, who flushed slightly.

The door opened, and Remus entered, looking exasperated. Glancing at Harry for only a second, he turned to Sirius and said, "I would report your prank, seeing as it's my job as prefect, but as it's doing no harm to anyone I'll let you slide."

"Ah, so you've seen Snivellus as well," Sirius said. Lupin nodded, grimly, but his mouth twitched as though he was about to smile. "Like my work?"

"Very good work you've done," Remus replied, seriously. "I do wonder how you've gotten the new password to the Slytherin house."

"It's easy, they're all about purebloods and power and stuff like that." Sirius' words expressed his distaste for all things Slytherin. "Anyway, I would really love for James to see this, so if you don't mind…" He looked at Harry, who stepped forward and followed Sirius out of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Have you got your Invisibility Cloak?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "Good, take it out. As much as I love making Snape angry, I'm really not in the mood to deal with him right now." He took something out of his pocket-the Marauder's Map. After saying the "password", he scanned the Map quickly and said, "Snape is in the library."

They headed for the library quickly, pausing only to put on the Invisibility Cloak. Snape was seated in a corner far away from everyone else, and was scribbling in a book while reading another. Harry and Sirius hid, not too far away, behind a stack of books that separated them from Snape.

"These books are all about spell inventing," Sirius whispered, glancing at the titles. "So what do you think of his new look?"

Harry stared at Snape in awe. His normally jet-black hair was now a bright shade of pink. It was still greasy, and the overall effect was odd in a humorous way. He resembled a cartoon character. "It's certainly…interesting."

"Very, it's amazing," Sirius laughed. He turned to Harry to see his expression, which was a shocked one. "Wow, Prongs, I guess I really did-" He stopped, his own face looking shocked and slightly confused.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, starting to feel self-conscious.

"James," Sirius whispered, "your eyes are-are…They're _different_."

With a jolt, Harry realized what he was referring to. It had never come up until now, that his eyes were more like his mother's than his father's. Perhaps it was because none of the Marauders had looked closely enough at Harry's face to notice the difference. That is, until now, when he and Sirius were only inches apart. He knew he needed to give Sirius an explanation, immediately, but before he could Sirius added, "They look like…_Lily's_ eyes."

Inwardly, Harry groaned. To Sirius, he whispered, "I was practicing human Transfiguration and thinking of Lily at the same time, and it messed up my eyes. Hopefully it'll wear off soon."

Sirius looked slightly suspicious, but he laughed. "At least they're pretty," he teased. Harry hit him in the arm. A few minutes later, they exited the library.

Harry felt slightly sick. The more time the Marauders, and possibly Lily, spent around him, the more they would begin to see the differences between himself and James. Such discoveries could change history forever, and Harry did not want to let that happen. However, unless a solution was to magically present itself, Harry could think of no way to get back to his own time.


	11. Just Like Old Times

Harry, for the next day, tried to avoid everyone at all costs. It was hard-he had to get up extremely early to eat breakfast before his father's friends did, and he sat in different places for each class, rushing out as soon as they were dismissed. This plan didn't work for long; Sirius and Lily caught up with him in the corridors on his way to dinner.

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius called out to Harry in a cheerful voice. Harry had turned to see both him and Lily, an unlikely pair, headed towards him. Thinking quickly, Harry realized there was nothing he could do about this. Instead he gave Sirius a small grin. "Haven't seen much of you all day, which is odd, you know, because I have all but one class with you."

"Why are you and Lily together?" Harry asked. "You two are _never_ together."

"We both had similar interests," Sirius said.

"What?"

"You." Sirius glanced at Lily, who looked as though she was going to smile.

"Actually," she said, "I was reprimanding Sirius for his prank on Snape when the subject came up. We were both worried about you. So we decided to find you."

"It's classic, really," Sirius added. "The best friend and girlfriend work together to bring the oddly acting third person to his senses. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. When they looked as though they didn't believe him, he added, "Really. I've just been looking for something and haven't found it."

"You need something?" Sirius asked, looking curious. Harry nodded. "Well…maybe I can remedy that. I'll be back later, you two lovebirds!" And with that last sentiment, he rushed down the corridor, leaving the other two confused in his wake.

"What was that about?" Harry asked Lily.

"I honestly have no clue," Lily said. "But Sirius is just confusing in general." They had walked for awhile when Lily added, quietly, "Sirius and Remus, actually."

"What about them?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, they're both confusing," Lily answered. Harry still looked confused, though. "I mean, they both seem to have secrets. Like Remus' disappearing at certain times. And Sirius' family issues."

"I'm sure when they trust you enough they'll tell you," Harry said. He knew that Lily knew their secrets when she had died, and was sure that it had taken both of them time to trust her.

Lily nodded. "I can understand that." At this point, they entered the Great Hall and all other thoughts were forgotten as they focused on dinner.

Later, Harry was thinking in the dormitory when Sirius burst into the room like a whirlwind, stopping only when he saw Harry. He looked like a very overexcited puppy when he bounced onto the bed, waving the map.

"I think you have something to tell me?" Harry asked, looking Sirius up and down and repressing a laugh.

"Do not mock me," Sirius said, turning suddenly solemn. "This is the greatest event in the history of the world."

"You got Danielle to like you again?" Harry asked, then realized it probably wasn't something he should have brought up. Sirius, for his part, only laughed and shook his head and exhaled the words, "I wish."

"So you haven't talked to her then?" Harry concluded.

Sirius shook his head. "And not to my dolt of a brother, either," he added with a wry smile. "But that doesn't really matter now, because I have made a discovery of epic proportions." Harry had to admire Sirius' ability to bounce back-it was better than his own, at least. He gestured for Sirius to continue, which he did, "You see, I was running from Snape-he…er…decided to come after me during dinner, and I was looking for a place to hide. So I ran into this one hallway, and was pacing back and forth wanting so badly a place to hide, and suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere! It was amazing, and I opened it and there was a nice broom closet, and I stepped inside. _And Snape didn't find me!_ Isn't that brilliant?"

Harry was staring at him in shock, as he worked out what had just been told to him. "Yeah, that is brilliant," he breathed.

"I can't believe we didn't mark it on the map," Sirius continued, "and the door disappeared as soon as I stepped out of the room. But I shall try and find it again."

"That might be hard, if it's a disappearing room," Harry told him. He then laughed loudly, for such a joy had filled his heart.

The reason for this joy was simple, though of course Sirius could have never guessed it. Harry knew where the room Sirius was talking about, which was the Room of Requirement, was located, and he also knew that there was a good possibility of finding the wardrobe in there, _if he wanted it_. And that was just what Harry wanted.

He waited patiently until Sirius had told Remus and Peter everything, and all had gone to sleep. Then, Harry placed the letter he had written carefully on James' pillow and took his wand and the Invisibility Cloak.

Luckily, no one was to be found in the hallway containing the Room of Requirement. Harry closed his eyes and started pacing in front of the blank space of wall, all the time thinking _I want a room with the time traveling wardrobe that will take me to my own time_ so strongly it was a wonder he didn't actually say the words out loud. And then, as he rounded his third turn he stopped and opened his eyes-

-And his heart nearly burst, for a door had appeared. Cautiously, almost in fear, Harry pulled the handle and slowly opened the door.

The room was empty, save for the ancient and familiar looking wardrobe at the opposite end. Harry walked up to it, and suddenly hesitated-spending time with his father's friends, especially his mother and Sirius, who were dead, had been great. It had given him a lot of insight, and he was sorry to leave, especially so suddenly. But it was better that way, he reasoned, as no one would get too attached to anything. After all, people were put in a certain time for a reason.

The Cloak slipped off Harry, rendering him visible, and slid to the floor. Harry opened the wardrobe and with one last, long look, stepped inside.

The same light was there, but as Harry walked towards it as he had done the first time, another figure was standing in the light, looking past him, towards the door. It was just before Harry was pulled towards the back wall that he saw the figure for who it was-James Potter himself, and Harry wondered whether he had replaced Harry in his time or been trapped in the wardrobe. But then Harry was pulled away and an instant later slammed into a wall.

Hesitantly, almost afraid of looking to see where he was, Harry stood up. He was in a small room, and cautiously, he opened the door.

Light flooded in, and Harry recognized the hall-he stepped out and closed the door behind him, and the Room of Requirement disappeared behind him. Not that Harry noticed-in front of him stood his two best friends and his girlfriend, all looking just as shocked to see Harry as Harry was to see them.

"What-where you expecting me?" Harry asked in shock.

Ron was the first to recover himself. "No, we were trying to get you back and figured this room might be a sure thing," he explained.

"But apparently you beat us to it," Ginny said with a small grin. Then all three rushed forward to crush Harry in a group hug.

"We missed you!" Hermione cried, and Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement.

"You mean, I was completely gone?" Harry asked, surprised at this bit of information. That meant that James _had_ been trapped in the wardrobe the whole time after all.

"Yes!" Hermione answered. "Dumbledore told us that you'd gone through a time-traveling wardrobe, and…and-"

"And I'm sure he's love to hear of your experience," Ginny finished. "He wasn't quite sure how that thing worked, apparently."

"We want to know as well," Ron added. "So, shall we go to the Headmaster's office?"

Harry grinned; he was so glad to be home. "We shall," he replied. "And trust me; it's quite the interesting story."

"I don't doubt it," Hermione said, and Harry spent the night telling them and Dumbledore exactly what happened.

James Potter was more than a bit confused-he had no clue how long he'd spent in the wardrobe, or how he'd gotten there, really. One moment he'd been hiding from…someone, he couldn't remember now…in a broom closet, and the next there was a bang and he was stuck in a wardrobe for a long time. He could only guess. And then suddenly a stranger had come in, and James was sent out. He had been deposited in an empty room with nothing left in it except for his invisibility cloak. Stunned, James had pulled it on and gotten himself back to his bed.

Now, as he made to get into bed, and perhaps dream of what he would tell Sirius, Remus, and Peter the next day, he noticed a letter on his pillow. Opening it, he sat on the edge of the bed and read,

_Dear James,_

_I am afraid I can't tell you who I am-you wouldn't believe me. But I have been playing you the last few days and it's best that no one knows you were ever gone to begin with. So, here's what happened: Sirius found out his brother joined the Death Eaters, and his girlfriend Danielle broke up with him once she realized who his family was. Also, several pranks have been played on Snape, so watch out, though the last one is Sirius' fault-he dyed Snape's hair. As for you-well, Quidditch had suffered a bit but you can deal with that yourself. And Lily is your girlfriend and really feels you've matured and changed. She also almost kissed me…er, you…so I'd get on that if I were you. I think you two shall be very happy together. I suggest you burn this letter just in case someone reads it, because otherwise a lot of people would be upset, and I really only did this so that your disappearance wouldn't look so bad. You might be called forgetful because of details I haven't added, but just take it in stride. And I'm sorry for any confusion this may have caused-it's my fault._

James reread the letter several times before the shock wore off, and several times more before he memorized the details. Then, not wanting to disobey the letter, he burned it in the common room. "This has been strange," he said aloud, before heading back up to bed to get some much needed sleep.

The next morning Sirius woke him up bright and early talking about something that sounded like "exploring" and a "magic room".

"I hate to break it to you," James told him with a yawn, "but all the rooms here are _magical_, if you haven't noticed. This is a magical world."

"You _are_ forgetful lately!" Sirius cried, sounding as though this was nothing new to him. "You know, the room I told you about last night? That appeared when I need it and disappeared as soon as I left? Remember?"

"I do now," James muttered, standing up. "I suppose I'll have to go find this room with you then."

"Exploring the castle, just you and I," Sirius answered with a grin. "Just like old times. Before we grew _mature_." Here he gave a small laugh, as he was well aware he had matured the least of his friends.

James smiled as he slipped the Invisibility Cloak over his and Sirius' shoulders, feeling at ease once again. Quietly, he echoed, "Just like old times."

And just like old times, they set out to explore the castle.


End file.
